Innovative Device BLIPI Transforms Newborn Immune Function Profiling

Researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) have introduced a groundbreaking device known as the BiophysicaL Immune Profiling for Infants (BLIPI). This innovative device is capable of profiling a newborn's immune system in under 15 minutes using a mere drop of blood, a significant advancement in neonatal care aimed at addressing the urgent need for rapid and minimally invasive diagnostic tools.

Launched in June 2025, BLIPI is designed to enhance the management of vulnerable newborns, particularly those born prematurely who are at high risk of severe conditions such as sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1 million infant deaths are attributed to newborn sepsis annually, underscoring the critical need for effective diagnostic interventions. NEC, which causes severe intestinal inflammation, leads to a mortality rate of up to 50% in affected low-birth-weight neonates.

The traditional diagnostic methods currently employed in neonatal care often require substantial blood samples—up to 1 milliliter—leading to potential complications like anemia in these fragile patients. In contrast, BLIPI requires just 0.05 milliliters of blood and delivers actionable results within 15 minutes, allowing healthcare providers to make timely decisions in critical scenarios.

"Our goal was to create a diagnostic tool that works within the unique constraints of neonatal care—minimal blood volume, rapid turnaround, and high sensitivity," stated Kerwin Kwek, research scientist at SMART CAMP and co-lead author of the study published in the journal Pediatric Research in 2025. The study demonstrated the efficacy of BLIPI in profiling immune responses by measuring changes in immune cell size and flexibility, providing insights that align with conventional lab tests.

The device was tested with 19 infants, including both full-term and premature babies, and successfully identified significant immune cell changes indicative of infection. This capability is vital, as early detection of infections can drastically improve outcomes for newborns, particularly in emergency conditions.

Additionally, BLIPI's portability allows it to be utilized directly in neonatal intensive care units, eliminating the need for transporting samples and enabling its use in resource-limited settings. This feature is particularly beneficial for hospitals like KKH, which caters to a large population of preterm infants, where rapid diagnostics can significantly influence treatment outcomes.

The interdisciplinary collaboration between SMART and KKH highlights the importance of bridging scientific innovation with clinical needs. Professor Jongyoon Han, co-lead principal investigator at SMART, emphasized that BLIPI reflects a new paradigm in point-of-care diagnostics: "By leveraging microfluidic technologies to extract real-time immune insights from whole blood, we are not only accelerating diagnostics but also redefining how we monitor immune health in fragile populations."

Future research plans include larger clinical trials to validate the accuracy of BLIPI across diverse neonatal populations and refining its design for widespread implementation. Moreover, pharmaceutical companies may utilize BLIPI in clinical trials to monitor immune responses to neonatal therapies, marking a potential shift in pediatric medical research and development.

This advancement is supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore and exemplifies Singapore's commitment to fostering interdisciplinary efforts that drive technological innovations for global health impact. As highlighted by Assistant Professor Yeo Kee Thai, senior consultant at KKH, the swift insights provided by BLIPI could revolutionize care for newborns, offering them a healthier start to life.

In summary, the introduction of BLIPI not only addresses a critical need in neonatal care but also represents a significant step forward in the field of medical diagnostics, promising to enhance the health outcomes of the most vulnerable patients in the healthcare system.