Revolutionary technology: Unicamp's innovative method allows blood analysis in just 5 seconds using a smartphone and AI

The technique presents itself as a viable alternative to using a device that costs R$50,000, promoting the simplification of exams in remote regions and reducing expenses for municipalities with limited financial resources.

The innovative method that allows you to perform blood tests in just 5 seconds - Photo Reproduction

A revolutionary advancement in healthcare is about to transform the way blood tests are performed. Researchers from the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) developed a innovative method that allows you to perform blood tests in just 5 seconds, using a smartphone equipped with artificial intelligence (IA).Furthermore, this technique helps to reduce expenses related to the acquisition of laboratory equipment in areas of low economic power and will also enable blood tests in remote regions.

The digital blood count, created by biomedical doctor Ana Carolina Borges Monteiro, enables the rapid analysis of blood cells - red blood cells, platelets and leukocytes - essential for assessing health, in just five seconds, using a simple set of devices: a smartphone, a microscope and a computer. This replaces the need for equipment that can cost up to R$50,000.

The Unicamp Method

The method developed by Unicamp combines two distinct areas: image processing and artificial intelligence. Initially, images were selected from online databases, which served as a reference for the system, being subsequently processed to ensure uniformity. Then, algorithms capable of recognizing and counting the cells present in these images were developed. According to biomedicine, an approach that employed part of artificial intelligence was used to identify leukocytes, the cells responsible for the body's defense.

She describes that this methodology represents an alternative, but highlights that both complement each other in a certain way. Monteiro explains that Leukocytes consist of six distinct cell types, each with unique morphological and structural characteristics. She details that she developed a system using a different image bank, in which artificial intelligence was trained to analyze and compare images of leukocyte cells. This system, according to her, makes it possible to identify the type of leukocyte present in the image and its corresponding quantity, offering a more accurate and efficient analysis.

How it works and the results obtained

The key to the speed and effectiveness of this method lies in the artificial intelligence integrated into the system. AI is trained to recognize specific patterns in blood spectra, allowing you to accurately identify a variety of substances and biomarkers. This approach not only speeds up the analysis process, but also offers an extremely low margin of error, increasing the reliability of the results.

In practice, the procedure works like this: the healthcare professional collects a blood sample and applies it to a microscope slide, using the technique known as blood smear. Then, capture an image of the slide using a smartphone, with the help of a microscope. This image is then transferred to a computer (via Bluetooth or cable), where it undergoes processing using artificial intelligence and algorithms to automatically recognize and count the three types of cells present (red blood cells, platelets and leukocytes), all in just five seconds.

During tests carried out for the doctoral thesis, the system achieved accuracy between 90% and 100%. The responsible biomedical doctor, currently involved in health research at the Renato Archer Information Technology Center, expects that, with the improvement of the method and its routine application, this accuracy could reach around 98%.

Impact on Clinical Practice and Public Health

The implications of this advance for clinical practice are vast and profound. Blood Tests are often used to diagnose a wide range of medical conditions, from infectious diseases to metabolic disorders and cancer. With the ability to perform these tests quickly and affordably, healthcare professionals will be able to make more agile and accurate decisions when treating their patients.

Furthermore, the potential impact on public health is immense. In remote or resource-poor regions where medical infrastructure is limited, This technology can provide access to essential diagnostics that would previously have been inaccessible. This could lead to earlier interventions, reducing the spread of disease and improving health outcomes in vulnerable populations.

Ana Carolina states that the digital blood count has the capacity to provide high quality the main analyzes carried out by conventional blood tests. By counting blood cells, it allows the professional to identify anomalies in the patient's health and, consequently, make an accurate diagnosis. For example, the RBC count can indicate the presence of anemia in the patient, the Platelet assessment can help detect hemorrhages, and the Leukocyte count can suggest the presence of infections.

According to her, CBC already helps doctors confirm or suspect diagnoses. In an advanced phase of the project, she hopes to be able to detect anemia with even more precision and, perhaps, contribute to the preparation of reports on diseases such as leukemia.

Challenges and Future Perspectives

Despite the promises offered by this innovation, there are still challenges to be faced. Large-scale clinical validation is necessary to ensure the accuracy and reliability of results in different contexts and populations. Additionally, regulatory and data security issues must be carefully considered to ensure this technology is implemented in an ethical and responsible manner.

However, future prospects are very optimistic.The new biomedical method promises to revolutionize the analysis of blood tests, offering cost and time savings, practicality and broad scope. Unlike traditional hematological equipment, which can take hours to process results and are impractical for frequent transport due to their size and sensitivity to impacts.

The digital method uses only a cell phone, a microscope and a notebook, and is easily carried in a bag or under the arm. This allows health professionals to take exams to remote regions without access to energy or internet, where indigenous, riverside and quilombola communities reside. Furthermore, blood sample collection and preparation can be done on site, eliminating the need to transport the blood tube and ensuring the stability of the slide for later analysis.

The biomedicine specialist emphasizes that the project she developed is adaptable for use in Basic Health Units (UBS) that do not have a laboratory structure. This means that it can be implemented in municipalities with more limited resources, alleviating the demand on hospitals, which currently carry out these tests even in neighboring cities. Furthermore, even the best-equipped laboratories can benefit from the methodology she developed.

In many clinics, it is common that, faced with discrepant results, professionals need to repeat the exam to confirm the diagnosis. The proposal is that this step can be carried out using the system developed by her. Ana Carolina hopes to establish partnerships in the health sector to expand the application of the method, obtain certifications and ensure that it reaches a wide portion of the population.