Blood tests in space

A mobile phone-sized blood-count machine requiring less blood than that produced from a mosquito bite aims to make blood tests easier for many patients.

Funded by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), researchers at the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and IRIS International are working to create a hand-held device that provides accurate appraisals of blood chemistry using minute blood samples. The process takes about two minutes.

“Analysis of blood composition is how doctors test for infections and deficiencies in the immune system, monitor health and make medical diagnoses,” said Dr Yu-Chong Tai, investigator on NSBRI’s Technology Development Team. “Looking ahead to future missions to the moon and Mars, astronauts will need to perform simple blood tests to get up-to-the-minute information on their health.”