A 10-Cent Blood-Type Test | MIT Technology Review

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A 10-Cent Blood-Type Test

The cheap, portable, paper-based test could improve medical treatments in
the developing world.
By Katharine Gammon on June 9, 2010

Researchers at an Australian university have developed the first dipstick-type test to determine blood
type. The test involves putting a drop of blood onto a thin piece of paper that has been specially printed
with antibodies; as the blood seeps into different parts of the paper, the blood type is revealed. The
researchers say the test, which costs pennies, could improve medical treatments in the developing
world.
Blood typing is one of the most basic medical tests, but it currently requires delicate analysis with
microfluidic or optical devices and costs hundreds of dollars per test. People have one of four main
blood types, based on antigens on the red blood cells: A, B, AB, and O. Knowledge of blood type is
critical to successful blood transfusions, which save millions of lives each year worldwide, and using the
wrong type of blood can trigger a fatal reaction.
The Australian research team is comprised of engineers and materials scientists who work on printing
different biological substances to create bioactive paper. This involves a modified ink-jet printer, in which
the ink is replaced by enzymes or antibodies. They were experimenting with different substances when
they noticed something happening to the paper after printing with blood antibodies. When you put a
drop of blood on a Kleenex, it goes everywhere, says Gil Garnier , a professor of chemical engineering
at Monash University, who led the work. But if it agglutinates, it stays in one place. Agglutination, or
thickening, happens when a specific blood type meets a specific antibody.
With this knowledge in hand, the team developed a piece of paper with three armseach printed with a
different antibody that matches the antigens on red blood cells. A drop of blood placed in the center of
the paper moves along each arm, but it will be stopped if it meets a matching antibody, revealing the
blood type. The test has demonstrated the same accuracy as current lab-based blood typing, according
to Garnier. In addition, the whole process costs less than 10 U.S. cents per test and requires only a drop
of blood. Garnier says that the bioactive paper could be a useful platform for other types of blood tests,
including those for tuberculosis, anemia, and diabetes. The research was published in the journal
Analytical Chemistry.
The team recognizes some difficulties of putting their test into action, however. Many places that need
such cheap testing are in very hot climates, so the paper needs to be robust enough to be exposed to
1 of 2temperaturesand that still needs some work, according to Garnier.
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http://www.technologyreview.com/news/419297/a-10-cent-bloo...
transfuse someone, says Robert Richard, associate professor of medicine in the Hemology Division at
the University of Washington. It doesnt address the need to cross-match the units to control against a
hemolytic reaction from a non-ABO, non-Rh antigen incompatibility.
Nonetheless, Garnier says, a cheap, portable paper test could help deliver low-cost and accessible
information to empower people, especially in developing countries.

Credit: Gil Garnier

Tagged: Biomedicine, developing countries, paper
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