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Dried blood spot (DBS) cards have been in clinical use for over 50 years. While they have enabled the measurement of a variety of biomarkers, DBS cards are widely known to have certain flaws. Health Made Easy sees these flaws as opportunities to innovate and improve access to quality healthcare.

Our blood collection device, SANGO, began as a suite of technologies to address this deceptively simple question: how to fix the ubiquitous DBS card? Health Made Easy is taking this question further: how to deliver higher performance DBS cards to customers? The answers to both questions lie in our team, with decades of experience in technology development, research, materials science, microfluidics, health and wellness screenings, clinical and corporate partnerships, and regulatory compliance. The result is a sophisticated device that is operationally simple yet built on essential advances. Here is how SANGO rises above the competition to unlock the potential of at-home microsampling:

Under and Overfilling

Once you’ve pricked your finger with a lancet, how do you know that you’ve added enough blood to get a good result? Should you add more just in case?

On average, between 3-12% and up to 20% of tests performed from blood collection cards require a re-test because the customer didn’t add sufficient volume of fingerstick blood. Triggering a re-test increases time and cost, all while diminishing trust. Adding too much blood is messy, often leading to inaccurate results.

SANGO is intentionally designed to address the limitations of underfilling and overfilling.

Integrated Sample Processing

Blood is typically thought of as the gold standard sample for clinical analysis. But, for a number of tests, plasma—the liquid fraction of your blood with all cells removed—is vastly superior. Getting plasma from a fingerstick usually requires adding larger volumes of blood, throwing the blood cell fraction away, or separate handling steps.

SANGO supports the collection of blood and the passive processing and collection of pristine plasma. SANGO operates independently of the hematocrit of your blood (20–60%) and results in plasma recovery efficiencies >200% greater than competitor cards. That means less blood is needed from you! The SANGO device does all the heavy lifting, resulting in patients having access to a wider laboratory testing menu.

Precision

Clinical workflows rely on pipetting or liquid handling robotics, to deliver precise sample volumes into testing protocols. That means the accuracy of your test result is directly related to the quality of the blood or plasma spot you collect—smears, underfilling, or overfilling will lead to errors in the laboratory.

Collection zones within SANGO are designed to function with the precision of a pipette, where zone dimensions dial in volumes of blood and purified plasma. Laboratories can design and conduct more reliable assays on the basis of accurately predicting the volumes of sample they use. With the ability to collect blood and plasma, Health Made Easy is driving drive a broader application of patient-centric sampling in clinical development. Coupled with addressing under and overfilling, SANGO ensures quality in and quality out.

Shipping and Handling

Dried blood spot (DBS) cards require spotted blood to be dried before shipping them to testing labs. Wet samples can lead to smearing and in some cases, even contamination. However, wait times for drying can be up to four hours! Prolonged exposure to the environment (temperature and humidity differences) can lead to sample degradation.

Once the collection is complete, SANGO can be added to the provided pouch and sealed for shipment. No extended waiting. No timing required. Easier handling. Superior samples.