Teen develops iron loss test using sweat
14-year-old Krish Joshi is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences
A 14-year-old from Waterdown has devised a way to detect iron loss in sweat through the use of a test patch that adheres to skin.
Krish Joshi, who attended St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Elementary School, is a bit of an iron man.
For his school science project this year, Developing a Dermal Colorimetric Test Patch to identify Iron Loss in Sweat, he tried to find another way to help give those who may suffer from anemia a chance to be diagnosed sooner without having to resort to going to the hospital for blood work.
“Iron-nutrient deficiency contributes substantially to the global burden of disease … iron-deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional disorder in the world and it affects about two billion people worldwide,” said Joshi, who is also a member of the New York Academy of Sciences.
He explained the deficiency can be caused by either insufficient absorption by the body or a lack of intake.
“Iron is an interesting micronutrient because, on one hand, it’s physiologically essential for its oxygen-binding properties. On the other hand, it can be toxic if overloaded.”
Joshi explained that most of the human body’s iron is in hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body. It is also constantly excreted through urination, feces, menstruation and through the skin.
Joshi explained that there are numerous tests to detect iron deficiency in people but they all require getting jabbed by needles.
At the moment, sweat is being used in diagnoses of other diseases such as cystic fibrosis and diabetes. Joshi says compared to other bio-fluids — blood and urine included — sweat is safer to use, easier to acquire and doesn’t involve breaking skin or having the patient use the washroom.
Joshi won a Silver Excellence award at the Canada-wide Science and Engineering fair in Regina, Sask., earlier this year.
He was inspired to study iron deficiency because both of his parents are anemic. One day, he happened to see his mother taking iron supplements.
The teen, who is of Indian heritage, discovered through his research that iron deficiency and anemia affect the majority of the population in rural India. He wanted to find a way to deliver an effective and inexpensive method to help those living in poor areas.
Joshi designed a “colorimetric test patch,” which helps monitor iron loss in sweat during exercise by changing colour to indicate how much iron is being lost.
Joshi’s patch is composed of a medical transparent bandage that sticks to the skin, cotton gauze strips and a colour test strip. On test subjects, the colour indicator turned orange for trace amounts of iron loss, light green to dark green for moderate loss, and dark blue, which indicated anemia.
Joshi tested six people — three male, three female — and had them walk on a treadmill.
“The women had small to large iron loss, the men had trace to moderate.”
Joshi has received support in Canada for his project. He has also presented his project as a business pitch to other members of the New York Academy of Sciences during a competition.
Joshi, who is one of the youngest of the more than 20,000 academy members from more than 100 countries — he joined when he was 13 — said he received a great deal of support for his pitch.
Joshi said there is still much more work and testing to be done.
“Right now, all I’ve really been thinking about is just getting a patent, but I have done a lot of market research and stuff and competitive analysis, but I haven’t really done a forecast as to what’s going to happen.”