New Chip Measures Blood Donation Quality

Acoustic device can quickly test if donated blood is still good enough for transfusion.

Jan. 29, 2026 at 4:07pm

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Researchers at the University of Colorado have developed a compact, inexpensive device that uses acoustic waves to stress-test donated blood samples and measure the quality of red blood cells. This allows hospitals to prioritize using lower-quality blood sooner, ensuring better treatment for patients.

Why it matters

Donated blood can vary in quality over time due to differences in donors' metabolism, lifestyle, and other factors. Current methods often overlook these variations, but this new device could help identify lower-quality blood samples before transfusion, improving patient outcomes.

The details

The chip generates acoustic waves that make red blood cells vibrate and heat up until they break. The faster the cells break, the less healthy the blood. Experiments showed that as blood ages, red blood cells from some donors broke at lower temperatures sooner than others, even before the official expiration date.

  • Researchers tested blood samples from multiple healthy donors weekly over the standard 42-day storage period.
  • The device was developed by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and University of Colorado Anschutz.

The players

Xiaoyun Ding

Associate professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, and lead researcher on the project.

University of Colorado Boulder

The university where the research team is based and where the device was developed.

University of Colorado Anschutz

The university that collaborated with CU Boulder on the research and development of the blood testing device.

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What they’re saying

“Our vision is to have a chip the size of a dime that you can plug into your cell phone. It could use your phone's camera and an app to read out the results in just two minutes.”

— Xiaoyun Ding, Associate professor (University of Colorado Boulder)

What’s next

There is still more work to be done before this method can be widely adopted in hospitals, but the researchers hope to apply the same approach for measuring different factors that affect blood cells or protein levels in blood.

The takeaway

This new device could help hospitals identify lower-quality donated blood samples before transfusion, allowing them to prioritize using those units sooner and ensuring better treatment for patients. It highlights how technological innovations can improve the safety and efficiency of the blood donation system.