Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

The blood biochip

The biochip has been developed in Progenika Biopharma de Zamudio to perform blood tests quickly and with high reliability.

The development of genetics has allowed the development of different products. For example, to obtain better diagnoses in health services, to know the development of certain diseases, or to develop products to know in advance the response of a patient to a treatment.

An example of this is BloodChip, a product developed by Progenika, a company located in the Bizkaia Technology Park. Working in the field of biotechnological research and using advanced DNA chip technology, this company produces and markets products for genetic diagnosis.

From a genetic perspective, the BloodChip allows to know the compatibility between a blood donor and a recipient to avoid the occurrence of adverse reactions during transfusions.

Odol-transfusioetan gaur egun egiten diren bateragarritasun-analisiak metodo segurua dira, baina, hala ere, kontrako erreakzioak eta alergiak ageri ohi dira transfusioen % 3an. With this new chip, the safety of transfusions is increased to 99.8%, which is the main contribution.

The ten blood groups that make up the BloodChip information include the most significant variations of ethnic groups in the world.

The chip is produced on machines inside a white room protected against dust particles. This is where the information from the ten blood groups is physically entered into the chip.

To obtain information from a blood sample through the BloodChip, a multi-step process must be performed. Blood samples are collected from blood collection banks in test tubes. From these blood samples, the DNA of the blood, which is the donor's genetic information code, is obtained.

Once the genetic code is known, the obtained DNA sample is amplified in order to be able to carry out various analyses and to ensure that no information is lost or damaged during the analytical process.

In order to know the genetic compatibility of the blood sample, the double helix forming the DNA must then be divided into two DNA strands.

The chip is then inserted into the hybridization machine. In this machine, the DNA strand from the blood sample is inserted into the BloodChip to be mixed with the strands contained therein. Thus, by knowing the DNA sequence with which it joins the double helix of DNA with which it forms, it is possible to know the blood group of the sample.

When the process in the hybridization machine is complete, the chip is ready for data analysis in the scanner. The scanner distinguishes the DNA sequence of the BloodChip in which hybridization has occurred. These sequences are shown by the software by signal points. In this way, depending on the DNA sequences that the patient has, it will be known exactly which blood group he has, thus ensuring that no adverse reactions will occur during blood transfusions.

The Progenika BloodChip is currently used in large blood transfusion centers, such as the Galdakao health center, as well as other centers in Madrid and Barcelona. And, in the future, it is foreseen that the use of the chip will be continuously extended to other territories as well.