Leuko device for remote monitoring of oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy

It is estimated that in 2020, cancer will be responsible for over 18 million cases worldwide.

Leuko, founded by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has developed a home white blood cell monitor to help doctors non-invasively monitor the health of cancer patients during chemotherapy.

The PointCheck device provides doctors with an easy-to-use way to capture the health of their immune system and optimize cancer treatment for patients.

According to Cancer Research UK, cancer was estimated to be responsible for over 18 million cases worldwide in 2020.

Chemotherapy aims to destroy cancer cells, which can also destroy patients’ immune cells, leaving tens of thousands of cancer patients each year with weakened immune systems, putting them at risk of contracting infections.

Trying to strike a balance between providing enough chemotherapy to kill the cancer and not allowing a patient’s white blood cell count to drop as low, Leuko’s PointCheck device uses light to look through the skin at the top of the nail, using artificial intelligence to analyze and detect when white blood cells reach low levels, without the need for a blood test.

MIT researchers conducted a 2019 study of 44 patients that began in 2015 that showed PointCheck was effective in detecting when white blood cell levels dropped below a critical threshold, with minimal false positives.

A larger study of 154 patients showed that the PointCheck device was easy to use at home for unsupervised patients to provide information to their doctors about their immune system.

The team also believes that the device could potentially be used in the future to monitor other biomarkers in the blood for other conditions.

“Other patient populations … include patients with multiple sclerosis, autoimmune diseases, organ transplants and patients rushed to the emergency room,” said Carlos Castro-Gonzalez, co-founder and CEO of Leuko.

Leuko co-founder and chief technology officer Ian Butterworth commented: “We expect this to deliver marked improvements in the way patients are monitored and cared for in the outpatient setting.”

The company will conduct a pivotal study later this year to seek approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.