Leuko has created a groundbreaking device offering a non-invasive method for doctors to monitor the health of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, eliminating the need for blood tests.
Chemotherapy and other treatments aimed at destroying cancer cells often also damage patients’ immune cells. This can lead to a dangerously low white blood cell (WBC) count, known as neutropenia, which traditionally requires blood tests for monitoring.
The new device, according to MIT, can remotely detect life-threatening infections in cancer patients without the need for blood draws. It operates by using light to penetrate the skin at the fingernail’s surface, combined with artificial intelligence to analyze and determine when WBCs reach critically low levels.
Leuko co-founder and CEO Carlos Castro-Gonzalez, a former postdoctoral researcher at MIT, mentioned that physicians are excited about future iterations of the product. He indicated that these could potentially personalize chemotherapy doses for each patient. If a patient does not become neutropenic, this could signal that the chemotherapy dose might be safely increased, allowing treatments to be tailored based on individual reactions.
Developed initially by MIT researchers in 2015, the technology has since evolved into a prototype and undergone a small validation study. In 2019, a study involving 44 patients demonstrated the device’s ability to accurately detect critical WBC level drops with minimal false positives.
As reported by Medical Buyer, Leuko has collaborated with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure their device is both accurate and user-friendly for untrained patients. The company plans to commence a pivotal study later this year, which will be used to seek FDA approval.