PLGA from PolySciTech used for temporary fluorescent marking of patients for record keeping to prevent medical errors.

 

Studies of medical errors indicate that as many as 251,000 deaths occur annually in the United States as a result of these errors (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28186008/). Tools which enable easy, quick, and temporary recording of patient data can reduce these errors. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Melbourne, and Global Health Labs used PLGA (AP022) from PolySciTech Division of Akina, Inc (www.polyscitech.com) to create quantum-dot loaded microneedles. These provide for a fluorescent tracer embedded in patient skin which slowly degrades away after the mark is no longer needed. By coding this marker to represent relevant patient health data, costly and potentially dangerous medical mistakes can be prevented. Read more: Collins, Joe, Jooli Han, Morteza Sarmadi, Stephanie Allison‐Logan, Aurelien vander Straeten, Collin F. Perkinson, Sarah Acolaste et al. "On‐Patient Temporary Medical Record for Accurate, Time‐Sensitive Information at the Point of Care." Advanced Functional Materials (2024): 2311821. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/adfm.202311821

“Accurate medical recordkeeping is important for personal and public health. Conventional forms of on-patient medical information, such as medical alert bracelets or finger-markings, may compromise patient privacy because they are readily visible to other people. Here, the development of an invisible, temporary, and easily deployable on-patient medical recordkeeping system is reported. Information is stored in unique patterns of spatially distributed near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent quantum dots (QDs), which are delivered to the skin using dissolvable microneedle arrays. The patterns are invisible to the naked eye but detectable with an infrared camera, which can extract information with >98% accuracy using automated pattern recognition software. By encapsulating NIR QDs in an FDA-approved biodegradable polymer, biodegradation rates can be tuned so that the encoded medical information can be conveyed in both a spatial and temporal manner, with some components fading within 100 days and others persisting for 6 months. This may be particularly useful for administering a series of vaccinations or treatments by indicating if enough time has passed for the patient to receive the next dose. Importantly, this system contains no personal information, does not require connection to a centralized database, and is not visible to the naked eye, ensuring patient privacy.”

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BPR (Biotech Pharma Research) Conference (April 10, 2024, KPTC West Lafayette, IN) is a​ free ​scientific/​networking conference hosted by Akina (http://bprconference.com/​).