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Combining medical with engineering advancements to develop devices and support healthcare providers to rapidly identify essential element deficiencies with accuracy.
Collaborative Efforts
A multi-disciplined team, comprising diverse backgrounds from engineering to medicine, that are all working together to identify issues for the practicing doctor that would help their patients and then turning this into reality in collaboration with Curtin University
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Assessing Iron
Current efforts have progressed the initial concept of a rapid testing device for assessing iron levels, specially iron deficiency. This device has been short listed for the Innovation Award of the year and we aim for clinical studies to commence in the near future. Why iron?
Why Iron Deficiency?
Iron is an essential element with important functions such as oxygen transport, DNA synthesis and muscle metabolism. With low levels patients often experience a range of generic symptoms including fatigue and brain-fog (or inability to concentrate). Over many years iron deficiency may impact erythropoiesis (or development of red blood cells) and leads to anaemia (or low haemoglobin concentration). Today, it is usually only when anaemia is detected that iron deficiency is recognised and potentially treated – leaving patients with many years, often life times, of no diagnosis or treatment.
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Iron deficiency is the main cause of anaemia, which is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency worldwide, affecting 33% of non-pregnant women, 40% of pregnant women, and 42% of children worldwide.
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Severe anaemia is also the leading cause of blood transfusions and it has been suggested that nearly 90% of transfusions in medical practice could be avoided with earlier detection and management of anaemia – which is largely due to iron deficiency!
The Iron Deficiency Journey
Left undetected, and subsequently untreated, iron deficiency (with and even without anaemia) may play a role in the development of heart failure, has been associated with impairments in cell-mediated and innate immunity (leave individuals more susceptible to infections), may negatively impair the molecular and metabolic function of cells potentiating carcinogenesis (or development of cancers) and has been correlated with up to 90% increased risk of mortality.
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​Despite this, standard testing of iron markers (such as serum ferritin) is rarely performed in clinical practice and hence there is a need for a rapid and accurate testing device.
Why Point of Care Testing (POCT)?
Point of care testing provides rapid turn-around time compared with traditional laboratory testing along with no / minimal invasiveness to patient (reducing discomfort versus traditional venepuncture or blood tests). This is especially relevant in paediatric setting or with those having difficult to access veins (or just scared of needles).
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Advancement in component materials, reader technologies, reagents and sensitivity enhancement have made accurate and reliable results more achievable with good acceptability now by many clinicians for routine use.
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High R&D investment into this industry will result in strong growth in this segment over the next years with a market size expected to exceed USD 50 billion by 2027.
The Device
AcceliDx has an active interest in iron deficiency to develop, as its first step, a point of care device to rapidly and accurately detect iron deficiency (POCT-ID) . This device won the coveted International Innovation Award of the Year (2022) from Curtin University.
Tim and Heike Cushway conceived the idea of the POCT-ID and are working closely with Professor Luke Haseler (Principal Investigator for R&D), Professor Damian Arrigan and Professor Tele Tan and have developed a prototype a reproducible board, using small capacitive interdigital sensors, that is capable of developing a signal from a very small sample of blood (amounts that are feasible from a single finger prick or heel prick in a newborn). This exciting development has enabled several grants to be applied for to largely fund the R&D activities although interest from external investors is most welcomed.
The Team
AcceliDx has a dedicated team of scientists and medical doctors with an active interest in iron deficiency working together to develop, as its first step, a point of care device to rapidly and accurately detect iron deficiency (POCT-ID) .
Over the next 12-18 months the team aims to refine their technology to permit commencement of clinical trials with
The Integrated Medical Centre by the Iron Suites. At this time, Dr Dheeraj Khiatani the Medical Director and a well-respected leading expert in the management of iron deficiency will conduct pilot studies to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the device.
Supporting the team are healthcare professionals across multiple specialties including haematology, obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics and general practitioners. Dr Jameela Sathar (Haematologist and President of the Malaysian Patient Blood Management Society) and multiple other clinicians will continue to provide practical advice on how such a device could be incorporated into their daily practice to improve patient care.
A Board of Directors, chaired by Professor Linley Lord, Pro Vice Chancellor and President, Curtin University Singapore will lead a team of entrepreneurs, industry experts and business focused individuals to ensure that AcceliDx meets it goals and more.
Awards & Accreditations
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