Almost every time a major disaster strikes, medical authorities suggest people donate blood to help replenish dwindling supplies. Mississippi State chemical engineering assistant professor Adrienne R. Minerick's research may lead to more blood available for emergencies, helping ease problems of blood shortages during critical times of need.
The micro-medical device she continues to develop determines a person's blood type using a single drop of blood in less than four minutes. Emergency medical workers now use only one type in emergency situations, O Negative, since determining blood type using current technology usually requires shipping it to a lab.
Minerick's ongoing work in her Medical Micro-device Engineering Research Lab may lead to using low-cost devices in emergency situations to determine specific blood types, allowing emergency medical workers the flexibility of matching persons in need of assistance with their specific blood type.
Within three years, Minerick expects her research to lead to the development of the device. Capable of identifying each blood type with more than 95 percent accuracy, it can be used in almost any crisis involving blood shortage.