Noninvasive Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Individuals with Darker Skin Pigmentations
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 31 Oct 2022 |

Racial disparities in hemoglobin and blood oxygen measurements are an urgent public health issue. The devices presently in use are inaccurate in people with dark skin. Most methods for monitoring hemoglobin require blood samples and expensive equipment. Currently available pulse-oximeters use red-infrared light and are based on technology first designed more than 50 years ago. The available noninvasive spectroscopic methods have a high degree of variability and often are inaccurate in people of color due to differences in skin melanin. There is a significant unmet need for a reliable, noninvasive device to estimate hemoglobin, irrespective of skin color. Now, researchers have demonstrated a new device that measures hemoglobin more accurately in individuals with darker skin pigmentations by using the spectroscopic properties of hemoglobin in the blue-green light spectra.
In a clinical study, a team of researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, TX, USA) along with Shani Biotechnologies LLC (Austin, TX, USA) measured the hemoglobin and oxygen content of 16 healthy volunteers using the newly developed technology. The team compared the results to those obtained using a commercially available pulse-oximeter for accuracy and variability. The findings of the study are encouraging, and the new technology has massive potential to address this clinical unmet need. The researchers intend to develop a wearable device, such as a watch or a monitor, that would read the blood through the skin.
“We have used the green-blue light and have successfully tested the device in preclinical and clinical studies,” said Dr. Vinoop Daggubati of Shani Biotechnologies LLC. “Our group has addressed the issues around shorter wavelength, scattering of light and the impact of skin melanin. The scientific community should open its mind to the concept of green light for these measurements. The Shani device has huge potential to eliminate this racial disparity.”
Related Links:
University of Texas at Arlington
Shani Biotechnologies
Latest Hematology News
- Next Generation Instrument Screens for Hemoglobin Disorders in Newborns
- First 4-in-1 Nucleic Acid Test for Arbovirus Screening to Reduce Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Infections
- POC Finger-Prick Blood Test Determines Risk of Neutropenic Sepsis in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy
- First Affordable and Rapid Test for Beta Thalassemia Demonstrates 99% Diagnostic Accuracy
- Handheld White Blood Cell Tracker to Enable Rapid Testing For Infections
- Smart Palm-size Optofluidic Hematology Analyzer Enables POCT of Patients’ Blood Cells
- Automated Hematology Platform Offers High Throughput Analytical Performance
- New Tool Analyzes Blood Platelets Faster, Easily and Accurately
- First Rapid-Result Hematology Analyzer Reports Measures of Infection and Severity at POC
- Bleeding Risk Diagnostic Test to Reduce Preventable Complications in Hospitals
- True POC Hematology Analyzer with Direct Capillary Sampling Enhances Ease-of-Use and Testing Throughput
- Point of Care CBC Analyzer with Direct Capillary Sampling Enhances Ease-of-Use and Testing Throughput
- Blood Test Could Predict Outcomes in Emergency Department and Hospital Admissions
- Novel Technology Diagnoses Immunothrombosis Using Breath Gas Analysis
- Advanced Hematology System Allows Labs to Process Up To 119 Complete Blood Count Results per Hour
- Unique AI-Based Approach Automates Clinical Analysis of Blood Data
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
3D Printed Point-Of-Care Mass Spectrometer Outperforms State-Of-The-Art Models
Mass spectrometry is a precise technique for identifying the chemical components of a sample and has significant potential for monitoring chronic illness health states, such as measuring hormone levels... Read more.jpg)
POC Biomedical Test Spins Water Droplet Using Sound Waves for Cancer Detection
Exosomes, tiny cellular bioparticles carrying a specific set of proteins, lipids, and genetic materials, play a crucial role in cell communication and hold promise for non-invasive diagnostics.... Read more
Highly Reliable Cell-Based Assay Enables Accurate Diagnosis of Endocrine Diseases
The conventional methods for measuring free cortisol, the body's stress hormone, from blood or saliva are quite demanding and require sample processing. The most common method, therefore, involves collecting... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
Unique Autoantibody Signature to Help Diagnose Multiple Sclerosis Years before Symptom Onset
Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) are thought to occur partly due to unusual immune responses to common infections. Early MS symptoms, including dizziness, spasms, and fatigue, often... Read more
Blood Test Could Detect HPV-Associated Cancers 10 Years before Clinical Diagnosis
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is known to cause various cancers, including those of the genitals, anus, mouth, throat, and cervix. HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer (HPV+OPSCC) is the most common HPV-associated... Read moreImmunology
view channel
Diagnostic Blood Test for Cellular Rejection after Organ Transplant Could Replace Surgical Biopsies
Transplanted organs constantly face the risk of being rejected by the recipient's immune system which differentiates self from non-self using T cells and B cells. T cells are commonly associated with acute... Read more
AI Tool Precisely Matches Cancer Drugs to Patients Using Information from Each Tumor Cell
Current strategies for matching cancer patients with specific treatments often depend on bulk sequencing of tumor DNA and RNA, which provides an average profile from all cells within a tumor sample.... Read more
Genetic Testing Combined With Personalized Drug Screening On Tumor Samples to Revolutionize Cancer Treatment
Cancer treatment typically adheres to a standard of care—established, statistically validated regimens that are effective for the majority of patients. However, the disease’s inherent variability means... Read moreMicrobiology
view channel
Mouth Bacteria Test Could Predict Colon Cancer Progression
Colon cancer, a relatively common but challenging disease to diagnose, requires confirmation through a colonoscopy or surgery. Recently, there has been a worrying increase in colon cancer rates among younger... Read more.jpg)
Unique Metabolic Signature Could Enable Sepsis Diagnosis within One Hour of Blood Collection
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition triggered by an extreme response of the body to an infection. It requires immediate medical intervention to prevent potential death or lasting damage.... Read morePathology
view channel
Spatial Tissue Analysis Identifies Patterns Associated With Ovarian Cancer Relapse
High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma is the most lethal type of ovarian cancer, and it poses significant detection challenges. Typically, patients initially respond to surgery and chemotherapy, but the... Read more.jpg)
Unique Hand-Warming Technology Supports High-Quality Fingertip Blood Sample Collection
Warming the hand is an effective way to facilitate blood collection from a fingertip, yet off-the-shelf solutions often do not fulfill laboratory requirements. Now, a unique hand-warming technology has... Read moreTechnology
view channel
New Diagnostic System Achieves PCR Testing Accuracy
While PCR tests are the gold standard of accuracy for virology testing, they come with limitations such as complexity, the need for skilled lab operators, and longer result times. They also require complex... Read more
DNA Biosensor Enables Early Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer
Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), recognized for its potential to form two-dimensional nanosheets like graphene, is a material that's increasingly catching the eye of the scientific community.... Read more
Self-Heating Microfluidic Devices Can Detect Diseases in Tiny Blood or Fluid Samples
Microfluidics, which are miniature devices that control the flow of liquids and facilitate chemical reactions, play a key role in disease detection from small samples of blood or other fluids.... Read more
Breakthrough in Diagnostic Technology Could Make On-The-Spot Testing Widely Accessible
Home testing gained significant importance during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the availability of rapid tests is limited, and most of them can only drive one liquid across the strip, leading to continued... Read moreIndustry
view channel
ECCMID Congress Name Changes to ESCMID Global
Over the last few years, the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID, Basel, Switzerland) has evolved remarkably. The society is now stronger and broader than ever before... Read more
Bosch and Randox Partner to Make Strategic Investment in Vivalytic Analysis Platform
Given the presence of so many diseases, determining whether a patient is presenting the symptoms of a simple cold, the flu, or something as severe as life-threatening meningitis is usually only possible... Read more