A home-ready device to meter and separate tiny blood samples for lab testing
Official title: Precision metering and autonomous separation of blood components for pre-clinical microsampling at the point-of-care
Funded at Tufts University Medford · NIH-11262921 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A tool to let people collect a small fingerstick blood sample at home that separates and preserves plasma so labs can run many of the same tests as a regular blood draw.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts University Medford NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | February 1, 2025 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $550,328 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EB035549-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11262921 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people who need routine blood monitoring for chronic conditions or who live far from phlebotomy services and would prefer at-home or mailed sample collection.
✕Less likely to help
This approach may not help patients who need large-volume blood tests, immediate in-clinic testing, or specialized assays that require fresh venous specimens.
What this research studies
This project is building a point-of-care device that precisely meters tiny fingerstick blood samples and automatically separates plasma from cells. The device aims to stabilize the separated blood so samples can be mailed at room temperature to clinical laboratories. Researchers will develop and test the mechanics and chemistry needed to make results match venous blood measurements. The work is intended to support both patients who want convenient testing and labs that need reliable samples.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could let many people do routine blood testing from home or remote locations without a venous draw, improving access and convenience.
How similar studies have gone: Older methods like dried blood spot cards have shown some success but have limits, and this project applies newer engineering and separation techniques to overcome those issues.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts University Medford
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mace, Charles R — Tufts University Medford
- Study coordinator: Mace, Charles R
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Lactobacillus helpers to support healthy pregnancies
A small study will test how friendly vaginal bacteria produce anti-inflammatory compounds that may protect pregnancy by reducing harmful inflammation.
-
Rapid, at-home test for galactosemia biomarker gal-1P
A new sensor device will let people with classic galactosemia and their caregivers monitor gal-1P levels at home or in clinics.
-
Targeted lysosomal RNA degradation for disease-relevant RNAs
A new approach uses tiny molecules to tag specific RNAs for destruction inside cells, with the goal of helping diseases linked to RNA problems.
-
Chemical tools to map how glycation and ubiquitination control cell signals in cancer and aging
A researcher team is developing new chemical methods to watch how specific protein modifications like glycation and ubiquitination shape cell signaling in living human cells, aiming to uncover targets to prevent or treat cancer and age-related diseases.
-
How Stress Shapes the Brain and Health in Everyday Life
This NIH grant funds a study to understand how stress from daily life affects the brain and body and contributes to health problems like depression, anxiety, heart disease, and diabetes.
-
Graph-tools for uncovering redundant genetic pathways in cancer biology
A research team will build new graph-based methods to map how genes work together in cancer-related networks, helping predict what happens when genes are turned off or stressed.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.