Blood clots often stay undetected until they cause stroke or heart attack. Researchers at MIT have developed a simple urine test, which uses nanoparticles to detect thrombin, an essential element of coagulation.
Researchers hope that this test can be used to monitor patients who are at high risk of developing blood clots.
Doctors remind that blood clots can be a potential danger not only for older people but also for those who are sitting for a long time (long flights), for those who need to be in bed for a long time because of a surgery or those taking certain medications.
Prof. Baptiste says that existing blood tests are unable to detect the presence of newly formed blood clots even in people with an increased risk of their appearance.
Prof. Baptiste and her colleagues created the first technology to detect colon cancer, but they found that the same technology can be used to detect blood clots.
The test consists in an injection of the nanoparticles, which serve as a sensor for thrombin. This test can determine to what extent a blood clot has developed .