Conducting blood tests has never been a simple matter for me. In Quebec, it is not possible to obtain phenylalanine levels weekly. At best, you can have a monthly follow-up that requires to travel to the clinic for a blood test, then wait several weeks to get a result.
However, it would be so motivating to be able to get a reading of live phenylalanine levels so that we can properly assess the influence of our eating behavior and what are the best strategies to reduce such levels. The PKU community has been requiring technology to do this for many years.
A company recently raised a hand: Aptatek Bioscience.
Apatatek is « a mobile health company developing innovative systems combining novel sensing technology and innovative digital health tools to enable detection and monitoring of small molecule targets on a portable platform. » In a statement released on October 29, 2019, the company announced that its « PKU test system for real time monitoring of blood phenylalanine levels by phenylketonuria (PKU) patients has received Breakthrough Device designation from the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) »!
We believe an at-home test will be a critical and life changing tool in how patients living with PKU can more effectively manage the condition in the future. This test could impact the quality of PKU management […]
– Christine S. Brown, Executive Director of National PKU Alliance
This is extremely interesting news for people with phenylketonuria, event if it’s only a prototype for now. But that’s not all. .
John Adams, President of CanPKU (Canadian PKU and Allied Disorders) had the chance to attend a conference where he was able to observe the tool in question. He shared some pictures with us.
This is really great news and I hope this little gadget will make its way quickly to patients. I will follow the story carefully and share the news as I get it.
What do you think of this new technology? Do not hesitate to leave me a comment.
PCU blogue 