You may be hearing about the emerging diagnostic nanotechnology, T2 Magnetic Resonance (T2MR). Here is a summary of this intriguing new methodology that promises to revolutionize hemostasis testing.
T2MR instruments are point of care devices that employ a permanent magnet assembly, radiofrequency probe, and a recording mechanism that measures the spin-spin (T2) relaxation times of hydrogen nuclei (protons) in water molecules. T2MR has been applied to microorganism detection, immunoassay, and molecular probe technology, where it exceeds the sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by 100–1000X and requres no sample extraction or manipulation.
T2MR generates a precise global hemostasis tracing from 15–20 uL whole blood with no sample preparation. Citrated whole blood samples are treated with numerous clot and platelet activators to generate signals that reflect clot time, fibrinogen concentration, platelet function, and fibrinolysis. The signals are used to monitor antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy, and to diagnose platelet function, coagulopathies, and fibrinolysis disorders. There exist over 200 publications describing T2MR applications, including the attached Clinical Chemistry article, which provides T2MR technical details and compares the method to current hemostasis technologies:
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