A Simple Point of Care White Blood Cell Count Test

描述（由申请人提供）：提出了一种使用一次性试纸和手掌大小读取器的指棒式白细胞计数测定方法。该方法将估计白细胞计数在几分钟内在非实验室设置，如病人的家。通过手工组装原型获得的初步数据证明了所提出方法的可行性。一种简单的即时检测白细胞计数的方法将为医疗保健提供者提供一种便携式的方法来监测接受化疗的癌症患者。目前，还没有既便宜又准确的方法。提出的设备将提高化疗计划的效率，允许医疗保健提供者在患者来治疗之前获得白细胞计数。这将反过来降低医疗成本。拟议设备的POC应用具有每年1.6亿美元的潜在全球市场。在第二阶段，我们建议扩大设备规模，开发手掌大小的读取器，彻底测试分析系统，并为第三阶段的临床试验做准备。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Development of a finger-stick white blood cell (WBC) count assay method using a disposable test strip and a palm-size reader is proposed. The method will estimate the WBC count in minutes in a non-laboratory setting such as the patient's home. Preliminary data obtained with manually assembled prototypes have demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed method. A simple point-of-care (POC) method for measuring a WBC count will give healthcare providers a portable means of monitoring their cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Currently, there is no inexpensive and accurate method available. The proposed device will increase chemotherapy scheduling efficiency by allowing healthcare providers to obtain a WBC count before the patient comes in for therapy. This will in turn reduce health costs. POC applications for the proposed device have a potential worldwide market of $160 million annually. In Phase II, we propose to scale-up the device, develop a palm-size reader, thoroughly test the assay system, and prepare for a clinical trial in Phase IIl .