Group members: Natalie & Gregory

Project: Portable device that can count and detect low and high white blood cell levels.  

 

Riley, Lyrad K., MD, and Jedda Rupert, MD. “Evaluation of Patients with Leukocytosis.” Am Fam Physician92, no. 11 (December 1, 2015). https://www.aafp.org/afp/2015/1201/p1004.html.

This article explains that a high white blood cell count can be attributed to an infection and explains what a normal blood count is for infants, children, adults, and pregnant women. It also goes into further detail by explaining each type of white blood cell and what it means if that specific blood cell count is too high. This article helps by giving a healthy range of white blood cell that an individual should have.

 

Vozarova, B., C. Weyer, R. S. Lindsay, R. E. Pratley, C. Bogardus, and P. A. Tataranni. “High White Blood Cell Count Is Associated With a Worsening of Insulin Sensitivity and Predicts the Development of Type 2 Diabetes.” Diabetes Journal51, no. 2 (2002): 455-61. doi:10.2337/diabetes.51.2.455.

Author Affiliations: From the Clinical Diabetes and Nutrition Section, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Phoenix, Arizona

This article explains another result of high white blood count which is insulin sensitivity and being able to detect if somebody is about to develop type 2 diabetes. Because diabetes is such a common disease any innovation that can help with diabetes is useful and necessary. My innovation would help patients at home discover when something is wrong which would prompt earlier detection.

 

Trafton, Anne, and MIT News Office. “Monitor Detects Dangerously Low White Blood Cell Levels.” MIT News. April 02, 2018. Accessed October 09, 2018. http://news.mit.edu/2018/monitor-detects-dangerously-low-white-blood-cell-levels-0402.

MIT researchers have developed a portable device that can monitor a patient’s white blood cell levels. This innovation while similar to mine can only detect when white blood cells are too low. It also doesn’t give an exact count of how many white blood cells are present and the number of healthy white blood cell levels vary on the life stage of the individual.