QCM-D validation against conventional coagulation assays

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Validation of a novel multifrequency acoustics approach using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring against conventional coagulation assays in characterising coagulation disorders

  • IRAS ID

    230672

  • Contact name

    Ari Ercole

  • Contact email

    ae105@cam.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Cambridge University Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 8 months, 29 days

  • Research summary

    We are aiming to validate a novel technique of multifrequency acoustics using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) in detecting disordered blood clotting. Disordered clotting manifests in a variety of important clinical conditions, notably trauma, where has it significant negative effect on survival. Conventional laboratory tests of clotting function, which each look at one aspect of coagulation in isolation, are relatively insensitive measures. More recent methods, such as thromboelastography or thromboelastometry, look at whole blood coagulation, but operate on scales orders of magnitude larger than those at which coagulation occurs.

    We aim to compare the effectiveness of this QCM-D technique to these traditional laboratory tests of coagulation using samples of blood derived from patients attending haematology clinic with undiagnosed clotting disorders. Blood tests will be taken for routine clinical care for assessment by laboratory tests and thromboelastography/thromboelastometry. At the same time, one further blood sample will be taken from consenting patients which will be analysed by QCM-D. We will then compare the output of the different methods of analysis to establish whether this novel technique may represent a clinically useful clotting assay.

  • REC name

    East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    17/EM/0458

  • Date of REC Opinion

    3 Jan 2018

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion