MINI LABS

FOR YEARS, there has been a race to miniaturise medical equipment so they can easily be carted off to where they are needed most. In India, that would be far-flung locations where resources are meagre. Now, Siemens Healthineers India has tied up with a start-up, Jana Care, to release what is being touted as the first ever smartphone-based diagnostic system.

Aina, as the system is called, is a portable lab of sorts that can run blood tests right then and there. It’s a dongle-like module that attaches to a smartphone just like one. It also takes in a strip, the type used in glucometers, and all it needs is a drop of blood. A lancet and needle – again, the type diabetics will be familiar with – is used to get that drop. Once inputted, the system is able to do an analysis and come up with HbA1c, lipid profile and haemoglobin level. This set-up shows almost the same accuracy as regular lab tests, according to Siemens. The whole idea of this miniaturisation is to make it available at point-of-care locations in the absence of full-fledged labs.