Top List: The 10 Most Fascinating IVD Developments of 2014 So Far

1. A Blood Test for Suicide?

Researchers discover a gene alteration that they claim could form the basis of a simple blood test to predict a person’s risk of committing suicide.

2. Anti-Tank Missile Detector Joins the Fight Against Malaria

Originally developed for use in anti-tank missiles, researchers use special imaging detector technology to detect red blood cells infected with malaria parasites.

3. The Quest for an Artificial Blood Substitute

A long lasting artificial blood substitute is a step closer thanks to researchers in Essex, UK who have developed an engineered hemoglobin product that could provide a safe, long-lasting and virus free alternative to current transfusion options.

4. New NaNose Sniffs Out Deadly Lung Cancer

A new breathalyzer device is developed that is capable of detecting the volatile organic compounds released by lung cancers.

5. Could There Soon Be a Blood Test for Depression?

A study shows that it is possible to predict the activity of a major depression network in the brain using a blood test.

6. A Lab in Your Pocket

Software is developed that could enable lab-on-a-chip technology to run dozens of tests from a single drop of blood.

7. Neutrophils are the Key to Easy Asthma Diagnosis in the Blood

Researchers use a new microfluidic technology to take advantage of a correlation between neutrophil cell function and asthmatics, potentially allowing medics to diagnose even mild cases of asthma.

8. New Blood Test Predicts Risk of Alzheimer’s

Scientists create a simple blood test, based a lipid panel, that can identify with greater than 90% certainty the chance of a patient experiencing cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s disease in two or three years.

9. Novel Blood Screen Reveals Risk of Dying

Researchers discover four novel biomarkers that are strongly indicative of an individual’s risk of dying in the near future.

10. Thicker than Water: Medical Researchers Use Light to Measure Blood’s Clotting Properties

Scientists use an optical technology called ‘laser speckle rheology’ that could measure coagulation parameters in real-time.