Anemia is a condition afflicting 25% of the world’s population and is the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Detecting anemia is not just important for general diagnostics in hospitals, but is also critical for HIV/AIDS treatments, ante-natal clinics, and transfusion centers.

We seek to develop an electrical method to diagnose and quantify anemia that can be implemented into a handheld, inexpensive device. We use high-frequency impedance spectroscopy and mathematical modelling to determine the cellular electrical properties of the red blood cells. From this we can calculate and provide the clinician with the relevant blood parameters: Hematocrit, RBC Count, and Hemoglobin.

This is a project I have been working on and refining for many years, and I am glad I have the chance to pursue it through the SuperUROP program. I have worked on several research projects on medical devices before at MIT through the UROP program. I am interested in working at the confluence of medicine and electrical engineering and developing affordable health technologies.