The mechanical properties of cells can reveal which diseases a patient is suffering from. Researchers at the Max Planck Center for Physics and Medicine in Erlangen are making use of this effect - and revolutionizing diagnostics in the process.
Their goal: instead of laboriously examining blood samples in the laboratory, every doctor's surgery should be able to analyze them quickly and reliably using AI-supported methods. The RAPID Diagnostics project has now received the Medical Valley Award, which is endowed with 250,000 euros.
RAPID stands for "real-time analysis of physical phenotype in deformational flow". The method is based on a technique in which the scientists allow a blood sample to flow through a transparent channel less than the diameter of a hair. The cells are deformed in the process, which is recorded by a high-speed camera that takes around 2000 to 4000 photos per second. In these images, an artificial intelligence (AI) then searches for features that are signs of certain diseases and provides a specific diagnostic suggestion. Unlike conventional microscopic examinations, the cells do not have to be laboriously stained, which is another advantage.
Source: Max Planck Center for Physics and Medicine
