Better, Faster – and Only One Blood Sample: Genetic Testing Could Save Lives

Blood testing has just become a whole lot faster than ever before, thanks to new technology that is able to identify over 1,400 pathogens, giving doctors results within a day – instead of potentially weeks!

The tech startup Karius uses a sample of blood to identify bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites in one go, outperforming traditional testing which often requires multiple tests and a long wait. This new process could possibly even save lives, as it is even able to identify certain infections before any symptoms appear.

Laila Woc-Colburn, a doctor and associate professor of infectious disease at Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, USA who has used the new testing service, says that though still in its early stages, this type of test “will be the future”.

The technology, which reads tens of millions of data points to identify pathogens, also uses machine learning, which means it will get more and more accurate the more its used.