Sample collection and Point of Care testing

Point of Care and Point of Need testing hold much potential to improve the accessibility and efficiency of medical diagnosis. Innovation is rife and extensive market growth is expected in the coming years. However, the performance of diagnostic devices is reliant on the provision of high quality samples. These are not always easy to obtain, especially outside of clinical settings.

Bridging the gap between sample and test

A central goal of Point of Care (PoC) testing is to deliver actionable information that enables rapid diagnosis to improve patients’ health outcomes. It’s often less invasive and more convenient for patients, as well as being quicker and more cost effective than sending samples to a clinical laboratory.

Benefits of decentralised diagnostic testing

• Better access to testing facilitates earlier treatment
• Engagement of people who otherwise would not get tested
• Fewer unnecessary clinical appointments
• Reduced spread of infectious disease
• Reduced use of off-prescription antibiotics

Blood sample collection

Venepuncture is the gold standard for collecting blood samples for diagnostic testing in clinical environments. Capillary blood collection is a common alternative and it has become the standard for blood glucose testing.

Existing devices for capillary blood collection

Several PoC diagnostic tests use the finger prick method and have an integral blood collection capability. While these devices perform their intended function well, the finger prick method of blood collection and can be painful and messy. A new wave of minimally invasive capillary blood collection devices offer an alternative approach.

Plasma separation at PoC

Many quantitative assays require either plasma or serum, which is generally obtained in clinical laboratories via the centrifugation process. If this separation could be performed in a cost-effective way at Point of Care, a far greater range of diagnostic testing could be performed in non-clinical settings.

Combining multiple plasma separate techniques could make the process quick and effective enough for PoC testing.

A new concept for blood collection

We envisage a new device for blood collection which separates the plasma from blood during collection, in a wearable device. Read more about our concept in the whitepaper below.

Urine sample collection

Urine is a valuable specimen as a carrier of hormones, cells, proteins and bacteria that the body is eliminating. Yet despite its importance and widespread use, there is no standard for device collection beyond simple cups.

What are the challenges with urine sample collection?

• Controlling the flow of urine to collect the right portion for the sample
• Oversampling for instance flooding the lateral flow strip
• Overflow is common which can dilute first catch samples
• Cross contamination of the sample

The benefits of human centred design in diagnostics

The first step in overcoming these issues is to address the notion that it’s not difficult to obtain a urine sample. A human centred mindset plays a critical role here, ensuring users’ needs, experiences, and scenarios are accounted for. When you understand why things go wrong, it becomes easier to put them right.

Understanding physical and emotional challenges associated with urine collection is key.

A new concept for urine collection

Improvements made by the industry unlock new potential for PoC testing using urine samples. We’ve devised a concept that filters urine as the user passes their entire void, rather than capturing a sample which is then filtered for epithelial cells or bacteria for culture growth. This method could be used in PoC and Point of Need (PoN) settings enabling a greater range of urine-based diagnostic tests to be performed in these environments.

The diagnostic sustainability question

Improving efficiency, and avoiding wastage, play an important role in reducing the negative impacts of human behaviour on the environment.

An integrated approach to sample collection and Point of Care testing

Companies that find clever ways to integrate sample collection with PoC and PoN tests have much to gain in this evolving space. This whitepaper looks at the sample collection issue and considers how it can be resolved to improve the efficacy of decentralised diagnostic testing. Read more by downloading the full white paper.