DIY Lab Tests Getting More Capable

the_newsbeagle writes "People who are into the quantified health trend can already measure and chart a wide variety of metrics — steps taken, calories burned, heart rate, blood pressure, sleep patterns, etc can all be tracked using new gadgets. Now a new device called Cue lets people track their biochemical stats, too. Cue offers five DIY lab tests, automates the testing procedure, and sends the results to the user's smartphone. It lets guys check their testosterone levels, ladies check their fertility status, and also offers tests for the flu virus, vitamin D levels, and an inflammation-marker protein. Apparently more tests are expected down the line."

Comments

who gets the data?

[alen]

except me

i can imagine the banner ads i'll start seeing once i take a few of these

Re:who gets the data?

[i kan reed]

Wait until your girlfriend starts getting crib advertisements.

Re:who gets the data?

[ShaunC]

Or crab advertisements!

FDA letter in 30 days and counting

[ColdWetDog]

No, it's 'not diagnostic' - it's 'only investigational' so they aren't trying to get FDA approval. Right. That ought to be amusing.

It's just the same solid phase chemistry that is used in our clinic analyzers. We have a bunch of little hand held units (which in the case of the Cue is replaced by the phone and app). The chemistry is well tested, if a bit spendy - we don't use these for most tests, usually as backup in case the big analyzer has a hissy fit or if we have to take it in the field or if you are doing really rapid testing.

So, it's really just a marketing campaign to see if they can get people to buy the cartridges and a legal campaign to see if they can outrun the FDA.

Re:FDA letter in 30 days and counting

[Kohath]

If 23andme can't sell a tiny vial for you to spit into, there's no way the FDA will allow this Cue device to be sold. Unless they spend the next 5 years and a couple hundred million dollars testing it.

That's the government protecting you from knowing your vitamin-D levels or whether you're at risk for hereditary diseases.

Re:FDA letter in 30 days and counting

[Anonymous Coward]

Sell it for "animal use only". :)

The internet will take care of educating everyone that humans are animals.

Re:FDA letter in 30 days and counting

[Anubis IV]

Well, 23andme was actually still allowed to do their analysis, so long as they limited themselves to non-medical factors. That is, they were still allowed to accept your spit in a vial and do a genetic analysis on it to determine your heritage, then share that information with you. The FDA took issue with them offering medical advice, such as advising customers that they were at risk for breast cancer or whatnot, since the tests hadn't been vetted and the FDA was apparently concerned at what customers might do in response to an unvetted test offering possible false positives.

Mind you, I'm explaining what happened, not defending it, and the reason I'm explaining it is to point out that it's entirely possible a vitamin-D test may be perfectly acceptable. Or it may not be. It could likely go either way.

Re:And do what with the information?

[sandytaru]

I'd be curious to know if I got my vitamin D levels up. They were on the floor about a year and a half ago. For some reason that test costs an arm and a leg too, and I had to fight my insurance company to get them to cover it. (They should have been happy it was something that could be fixed with $5 worth of pills and sunshine.)

Triglycerides

[Chemical Serenity]

A triglyceride test would go over big. A whole lipoprotein panel, in fact.

Hell, I'd use it myself.

Walmart already started

[Anonymous Coward]

This is old news to me as a type 1 diabetic who has chosen to divorce themselves from the ultra commercialized American medical system. I've been using Walmart's over-the-counter A1C test for several years. It was the only service of any value that my endocrinologist had provided in years. Before that, most of my quarterly checkups consisted entirely of him trying to come up with additional excuses to bill me and my insurance through ridiculous nutritional boot camps while threatening to not give me prescriptions for insulin pump supplies (a luxury rather than a necessity) if I didn't attend. His threats had no basis on the actual state of my health as I have always been highly in control of my diabetes. It was just about money. I finally got sick of being forced to beg for what amounts to a permission slip to continue living and was shocked by how many supplies and medications could be bought over-the-counter for less than what I'd been paying with insurance for prescriptions. My diabetes remains in control and I still get regular lab work. A year later after I left him, my doctor called and begged for me to come back (hopefully because too many of his patients were leaving him). I explained why I left and said to never call me again.

I'm thrilled to hear DIY medicine is continuing to expand in the hopes that someday no one will ever have to feel like their doctor's cash cow.

Re: Cartridge Cost

[Adriax]

I have two kids, my family tends to come down with crap starting friday nights, and only the emergency room is available over the weekend in our area. The ability to do simple tests like flu or strep at home would be a godsend.

Wrong tense

[petes_PoV]

Now a new device called Cue

According to the device's website: shipping expected in spring 2015

So, essentially, right now, they have nothing except a website and some 3D graphics. Please re-run the story in a year or so if/when this thing gets off the ground and there is some actionable information to back it up.

Re:And do what with the information?

[sandytaru]

Because if it had been thyroid cancer and not a low vitamin D level, the cost could have been $30,000 for treatment. I don't have 30K lying around, do you?