Bio Break: Exploring Alternative Bodily Fluids for Diagnostics

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Bio Break: Exploring Alternative Bodily Fluids for Diagnostics

Sector: Diagnostics
Topic: Bio Break

In this episode of Bio Break, Joris van der Heijden and Nick Allan tackle an intriguing question: can alternative bodily fluids like sweat, saliva, or urine offer viable alternatives to blood sampling for medical diagnostics? While blood remains the gold standard for clinical testing, advancements in non-invasive sampling methods are opening new possibilities, particularly in wearable devices and at-home diagnostics.

Joris explains why alternative fluids are gaining traction, highlighting the benefits of non-invasive methods that eliminate the need for needles. Fluids such as sweat and urine are easier to collect and less intimidating for patients, but the challenge lies in correlating their values accurately to blood metrics. Even with high correlation rates on a population level, variability between individuals can lead to diagnostic errors when relying solely on alternative fluids.

The discussion delves into the importance of calibration and baseline tracking. For instance, by establishing a patient’s unique baseline values beforehand, clinicians can monitor deviations over time to detect changes in health status. This approach eliminates inter-patient variability and makes alternative sampling a more reliable tool for continuous health monitoring.

Key takeaways from the episode include:

  • Advantages of Alternative Fluids: Sweat, saliva, and urine offer non-invasive, convenient sampling methods, especially for wearable and home-use devices.
  • Challenges in Correlation: Despite strong correlations with blood values, alternative fluids require careful calibration to ensure diagnostic accuracy.
  • Patient-Centric Monitoring: Continuous tracking over time allows for more personalized and reliable diagnostics, minimizing errors linked to population-level variability.

This episode underscores the exciting potential of alternative bodily fluids in the future of healthcare, particularly as wearable devices become more sophisticated. Whether you’re interested in diagnostics, medical device development, or simply the science behind innovation, this conversation provides a thought-provoking look at how non-invasive methods are reshaping patient care.

Exploring Alternative Bodily Fluids for Diagnostics

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Nick and Joris dive into the fascinating world of freeze-drying, exploring how this process extends shelf life and maintains the integrity of various products—including reagents used in in vitro diagnostics and even instant coffee!

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In this episode of Bio Break, Nick and Joris discuss the fascinating world of real-time imaging for targeted drug delivery. When delivering drugs to precise locations in the body, how do we ensure they reach the right spot? The answer lies in medical imaging technologies such as MRI, CT, and ultrasound, which play a crucial role in guiding complex drug delivery devices.

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Nick and Joris explore the fascinating world of repurposing existing medical device technologies for new market sectors. As engineers and innovators, we often focus on creating brand-new solutions, but what about leveraging tried-and-true technologies to expand into untapped markets? This strategy not only opens doors to new revenue streams but also maximizes the potential of existing innovations.

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In this episode of Bio Break, Nick Allan and Joris van der Heijden tackle the fascinating challenge of targeted drug delivery. When administering drugs to specific areas in the body, how can we be certain they reach the intended target? Nick shares an exciting example involving an intranasal device designed to deliver drugs precisely to the olfactory cleft—an area located between the eyes.