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A new portable blood testing device could allow patient health to be monitored at home through an app. King’s College London spinout Algocyte has developed a small blood testing device, the PROXIMA blood testing device, which connects via Bluetooth and uses AI to build a picture of an individual’s health over time.
Who the PROXIMA Blood Testing Device Could Help Most
The tool could be especially beneficial for patients who require regular monitoring, such as those undergoing chemotherapy, who currently rely on frequent hospital or GP visits for blood tests.
How the Device Works
Patients collect small blood samples, through minimally invasive methods such as finger pricking, which are placed into the device. Instead of sending the blood sample away to a laboratory, sensors measure properties of the blood sample, which are analysed using AI algorithms to generate blood test results that can be shared digitally with doctors and patients on the spot.
Why the PROXIMA Blood Testing Device Offers More Than a Snapshot
While most blood tests provide only a snapshot of a person’s health at a single moment in time, this technology helps identify small changes in an individual’s health over time. This longitudinal tracking capability distinguishes the device from conventional lab-based testing, which typically captures only isolated data points rather than continuous trends.
The Potential Impact on NHS Resources
The technology could also free up resources for the NHS, with millions of blood tests carried out in the UK every year, helping doctors diagnose disease, monitor treatments and assess overall health.
The Research Behind the PROXIMA Blood Testing Device
Bringing together expertise in artificial intelligence, bioengineering, computational biology and clinical medicine, Algocyte is an example of how interdisciplinary research from King’s is being translated into technologies that could address real healthcare challenges.
Regulatory Progress and Next Steps
The device has achieved UKCA regulatory mark, meaning it complies with all relevant health, safety, and environmental protection standards, and is now progressing through further testing and evaluation in commercial deployment. Algocyte is continuing to gather scientific evidence and complete further regulatory steps as it works towards making the technology available more widely in different settings and for predictive purposes.
Leadership’s Perspective on the PROXIMA Blood Testing Device
“This achievement demonstrates how academia and industry can work together to deliver meaningful social impact. Academia advances fundamental research into health, disease, and the application of AI to cell and molecular biology. Industry translates these advances into scalable technologies,” said Dr. Hector Zenil, founder and CEO of Algocyte, and Associate Professor in Healthcare Engineering, King’s College London.
Specific Patient Populations Cited as Beneficiaries
“This technology could have a real-world impact on the many patients receiving treatments that would benefit from regular blood monitoring, such as chemotherapy or the use of medicines like clozapine, which require close monitoring of blood cell levels due to potential side effects or complications,” Zenil said.
The Official Launch of the PROXIMA Blood Testing Device
The PROXIMA Mobile Health Station was officially launched at an event at the Royal Society of Medicine in London on June 29, following the device’s achievement of UKCA marking. The event brought together researchers, clinicians, industry partners and healthcare leaders to mark the milestone and discuss the technology’s future development, clinical validation and potential applications across healthcare.
Why Bringing Together These Stakeholders Matters
Convening researchers, clinicians, and industry partners at this launch event suggests Algocyte is prioritizing early clinical and commercial buy-in as it moves from regulatory certification toward broader deployment, an approach that could help smooth the path toward wider NHS or private healthcare adoption.
What This PROXIMA Blood Testing Device Means Going Forward
With UKCA certification now achieved and the device progressing through further testing and commercial deployment evaluation, the PROXIMA blood testing device represents a concrete step toward reducing the burden of frequent hospital and GP visits for patients requiring regular blood monitoring. Given the specific mention of chemotherapy and clozapine patients as key beneficiaries, Algocyte’s near-term rollout may focus on these higher-need populations before expanding to broader predictive and wellness monitoring use cases.
What to Watch Going Forward
As Algocyte continues gathering scientific evidence and completing additional regulatory steps, industry observers will likely watch for clinical validation data demonstrating how accurately the device’s on-the-spot AI analysis compares to traditional laboratory blood testing. Given the stated goal of eventually supporting predictive health applications beyond current monitoring use cases, the device’s trajectory from this June 2026 launch toward wider deployment across NHS and other healthcare settings could offer an important test case for how portable, AI-powered diagnostic devices move from academic research into real-world clinical practice.
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