Diagnostic mini-disc

ESA is looking to adapt a mini-disc diagnostic system developed by Irish company Radisens Diagnostics for use by astronauts in orbit. A pinprick of blood is added to a mini-disc embedded with a wide variety of miniaturised test procedures. The disc is then inserted into the ‘point-of-care’ device and set spinning to spread the blood sample across the surface. Multiple tests are performed simultaneously, with automated results delivered within a matter of minutes. Testing for conditions including diabetes, heart disease, liver and kidney damage, it promises to perform some of the billion or so blood tests ordered by care providers annually to a laboratory level of accuracy in a faster, on-the-spot fashion.