New Google patent could change blood tests forever
Wednesday 9th December 2015
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Google has filed a US patent for a new smart product that could change the face of blood tests forever.
The technology giant has submitted a design for a new watch that would have the ability to check an individual's blood glucose levels without using a needle, but instead by sending a surge of gas into a small tube containing a microparticle. This microparticle would then puncture the skin to draw a tiny drop of blood, providing medical professionals with enough of a sample to test.
And it wouldn't just be doctors and biomedical scientists that would see significant changes to their jobs if Google's device was manufactured on a wide scale, but also diabetics and other patients who administer their own medication and tests at home.
So, how likely is it that blood tests could soon be possible without the need for needles?
Needle testing: The pros and cons
Blood tests and other small medical procedures have been conducted using needles for many years, as the small droplets of blood these tiny skin punctures present are big enough to be examined under a microscope to determine everything from signs of cancer to the levels of a certain vitamin in someone's body.
But in recent years, researchers have begun to claim that they might have found ways to test blood without the need for a needle, thanks to significant advancements in technology.
For example, earlier in 2015, pharmaceutical firm Tasso Inc claimed it had developed a ball-shaped device that, when pressed against the skin, encouraged blood to travel into an attached tube, preventing the requirement of needles. The company stated it was hoping to present its designs to the US Food and Drug Administration in early 2016.
It was also claimed that the device would make blood tests pain-free, alongside removing the fear of needles from the equation - something that currently blights many patients' blood test experiences.
Figures from Anxiety UK show that between 3.5 per cent and ten per cent of Britain's population suffer from a phobia of injections, or simply of the skin being pricked by a needle.
Therefore, the introduction of a testing device that does not involve needles could dramatically improve doctors' ability to administer injections and carry out blood tests, as more patients would be calm and relaxed for the procedure.
What's more, improper use of needles carries the risk of spreading blood-borne infections such as hepatitis C and HIV - another problem that could be eradicated if inventions such as Google's come to fruition.
How Google could change tests forever
Recent figures from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that one-third of the country's adults will have diabetes by 2050, in part due to the growing problem of obesity, meaning a needle-free blood glucose-testing device would be welcomed by a significant proportion of the population.
Reminiscent of Apple's new iWatch, the Google design would be the latest step for wearable technology, seeing it move into the medical industry. The search engine's Life Sciences department has also recently announced it is working on the development of smart contact lenses to monitor blood glucose levels, indicating a strong focus on this area in the near future.
And if blood can be drawn into a tube via minimal penetration of the skin, this raises all sorts of questions about how else modern technology can assist the medical industry.
However, speaking to the Verge, a Google spokesman explained: "We hold patents on a variety of ideas - some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patents."
Only time will tell whether or not Google's device does indeed change the landscape of blood tests for good.
Written by Martin Lambert
Mediplacements is a genuine specialist medical recruitment company. Contact us to see the latest
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