How Wazoku Solved Challenges in Hematology

Driving Innovation in Hematology with Wazoku

Home or Point-of-Care Tests for Plasma Clotting Factors

Hemophilia A and B are inherited blood disorders that required frequent monitoring of coagulation factors VIII and IX. Previously, tests to measure these factors were conducted in specialized labs, making it difficult for patients to regularly monitor their condition at home. This challenge, launched on Wazoku’s Open Innovation platform, sought innovative home or point-of-care tests for coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) and factor IX (FIX), offering a semi-quantitative result from a small blood sample, such as from a finger prick.

The goal was to create a user-friendly test that could be performed at home or in a clinical setting, allowing patients to monitor their disease status more frequently and adjust treatment accordingly.

Key requirements for the proposed solution included:

• Semi-quantitative analysis: The test needed to differentiate between severe, mild, and moderate states of hemophilia based on factor levels.
• Ease of use: The test had to be simple enough for patients or healthcare professionals to use without specialized laboratory equipment.
• Small sample size: A finger-prick volume of blood had to be sufficient to perform the test.

How the Wazoku Crowd Solved It: Through Wazoku’s platform, solvers proposed innovative assay technologies such as dipstick tests or small handheld devices capable of detecting and quantifying coagulation factors from a finger-prick blood sample. These solutions focused on ease of use, accuracy, and low-cost production, making regular monitoring more accessible to hemophilia patients.

The proposed solutions have the potential to revolutionize how hemophilia patients manage their condition, offering them greater control over their treatment.

Explore More: Learn more about this challenge and others on Wazoku’s Open Innovation Challenge Centre.

Small Volume Blood Collection Without Hemolysis

Frequent blood testing was crucial for many patients managing chronic conditions, but existing methods for obtaining small-volume samples, such as finger pricks, often caused hemolysis and sample contamination. This challenge, launched on Wazoku’s Open Innovation platform, sought innovative blood collection methods that minimized hemolysis, were low-pain, and produced unbiased samples suitable for point-of-care diagnostics.

The goal was to develop a user-friendly method for collecting small blood samples (20 µl or less) from the fingers or hand without damaging blood cells or introducing contaminants from surrounding tissue, ensuring accurate test results.

Key requirements for the proposed solution included:

• Minimal hemolysis: The method needed to cause little to no damage to blood cells, reducing the risk of bias in diagnostic tests.
• Low pain: The collection mechanism had to be comfortable for users, especially those requiring frequent testing.
• Compatibility with self-test devices: The collected sample needed to be easy to apply to assay devices without contamination.

How the Wazoku Crowd Solved It: Through Wazoku’s platform, solvers proposed innovative sampling mechanisms that avoid hemolysis while collecting small blood volumes, such as microneedle technologies and novel lancet designs. These solutions focused on delivering reliable, clean blood samples with minimal discomfort, providing a more effective solution for frequent monitoring at home or in clinical settings.

These proposals offered a significant advancement in blood collection technology, improving both patient experience and diagnostic accuracy.

Explore More: Learn more about this challenge and others on Wazoku’s Open Innovation Challenge Centre.

Hematology Innovation Challenge: Automated Detection and Quantitation of Bone Marrow Cells

Identifying and quantifying hematopoietic cells in bone marrow tissue sections had been a complex and time-consuming task due to the high density and heterogeneity of the cells. To address this, the Seeker sought an automated solution through Wazoku’s Open Innovation platform that could accurately detect and quantify hematopoietic cell populations in bone marrow sections, classifying them into three key lineages: erythroid, myeloid, and megakaryocytic.

This challenge aimed to develop an AI-based tool to analyze scanned images of bone marrow tissue, improving accuracy and efficiency in monitoring bone marrow toxicity caused by oncology therapeutics.

Key requirements for the proposed solution included:

• Automated detection and quantification: The tool needed to identify and quantify the three hematopoietic cell lineages.
• Open-source algorithms: The solution had to be based on open-source software to minimize costs and facilitate wide use.
• Image analysis: The tool was required to provide clear visual outputs, marking boundaries of labeled cells and their classification.

How the Wazoku Crowd Solved It: Through Wazoku’s platform, solvers proposed machine learning algorithms capable of accurately detecting and quantifying bone marrow cell populations from scanned images. Solutions focused on using deep learning for cell lineage classification and providing clear, actionable outputs to researchers, streamlining the analysis of complex bone marrow samples.

These innovative tools hold the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of hematotoxicity assessments in bone marrow samples.

Explore More: Learn more about this challenge and others on Wazoku’s Open Innovation Challenge Centre.

Hematology Innovation Challenge: A Minimally Invasive Blood Sampling Method for Potassium Monitoring

Accurate potassium monitoring was essential for regulating heart function and blood pressure, but current blood sampling methods, like venipuncture, were often uncomfortable and prone to hemolysis. Hemolysis could lead to falsely elevated potassium readings, making it difficult to obtain accurate results. This challenge, hosted on Wazoku’s Open Innovation platform, sought a minimally invasive blood sampling method that reduced patient discomfort while ensuring accurate potassium measurements.

The goal was to develop a low-pain method that minimized hemolysis and provided reliable potassium readings for both adult and pediatric patients.

Key requirements for the proposed solution included:

• Minimally invasive: The method needed to be as pain-free as possible, suitable for frequent testing.
• Low hemolysis: The solution had to minimize cell lysis to prevent false potassium readings.
• Accurate potassium monitoring: The method needed to provide results as reliable as venous blood draws, covering the potassium range of 2.5 to 6.0 mEq/L.

How the Wazoku Crowd Solved It: Wazoku solvers proposed a variety of minimally invasive techniques, including novel micro sampling devices and improved lancet technologies, which reduce hemolysis while ensuring accurate potassium readings. These solutions aim to make potassium monitoring more accessible and comfortable for patients, without compromising the reliability of the results.

These hematology innovations have the potential to transform potassium monitoring, offering a less invasive alternative to traditional blood draws.

Explore More: Learn more about this challenge and others on Wazoku’s Open Innovation Challenge Centre.

Hematology Innovation Challenge: Continuous Measurement of Blood Content in Saline

Accurate real-time measurement of blood content in saline solutions is crucial for many laboratory applications, but existing methods rely on endpoint measurements that fail to capture dynamic changes during experiments. This challenge, launched on Wazoku’s Open Innovation platform, sought an innovative device capable of continuously monitoring the amount of blood in a small volume of saline solution throughout an experiment.

The goal was to develop a real-time blood monitoring device that could measure blood content in sterile saline (0.9% NaCl) with minimal disturbance to the solution, providing accurate readings at least twice per minute for 60 minutes.

Key requirements for the proposed solution included:

• Real-time measurement: The device needed to continuously measure blood content (0 to 1.25 ml) in a saline solution at least twice per minute.
• Accuracy: The solution had to detect blood volumes with an accuracy of ±6 µl, corresponding to approximately ±50 nmol of hemoglobin.
• Minimal disturbance: The device was required to function with little to no stirring of the saline, ensuring that blood remained distributed as introduced.

How the Wazoku Crowd Solved It: Solvers on Wazoku’s platform proposed various innovative approaches for continuously measuring blood in saline, such as optical detection systems and non-invasive sensor arrays that track blood content without disturbing the solution. These solutions improve accuracy and efficiency, providing researchers with valuable real-time data throughout the experiment.

These groundbreaking technologies have the potential to revolutionize blood content measurement in lab settings, offering reliable and continuous monitoring.

Explore More: Learn more about this challenge and others on Wazoku’s Open Innovation Challenge Centre.

Wazoku Open Innovation

Wazoku’s Open Innovation platform has proven to be a powerful tool for solving complex challenges. By bringing together a global community of solvers, Wazoku helps leading organizations in the Health and Life Sciences industry tackle their toughest problems, drive innovation, and improve patient outcomes.

Whether through cutting-edge technologies like AI, precision medicine, or patient-centered research, Wazoku Crowd continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in healthcare innovation.

Interested in driving innovation for your organization?

Run your own challenge and unlock the power of global collaboration to solve your toughest problems.

Explore