I-CORPs: Kalmed Healthcare

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of the I-Corps project is to optimize the efficiency of blood testing by minimizing costs, providing faster results, offering a more painless solution and increasing the convenience of where one?s blood is tested. A direct patient-to-lab interface allows for a new way of testing. This envisioned stand-alone testing kiosk could reach diabetes patients in remote, rural settings both domestically and internationally who have limited access to a healthcare facility. Our diagnostic testing solution could eliminate the need of a healthcare professional allowing blood collection and testing to be a very easy task to accomplish. Our product has the potential to incentivize more patients with blood-related diseases to get their blood tested, leading to quicker diagnosis and a better treatment plan. This I-Corps project offers a blood collection device that utilizes a capillary extraction method, which has the potential to extract blood within seconds, rather than the standard venous draw, which takes longer and requires a healthcare professional. This method may be more painless than typical capillary extractions as the intended site of usage for lancet devices is the finger, which contains more sensitive pain receptors. In some instances we have received input that the constant pricking of a finger has become a nuisance which is why the site of action chosen has been the arm. The issue of vein accuracy is further a contributing factor to the blood collection device functionality as the issue is solved via the capillary method. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.