HemaChrome and Global Health Labs Partner to Advance Mobile Health Technology
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — HemaChrome LLC, a digital mobile health startup based on technology developed at Purdue University, is collaborating with Global Health Labs Inc. (GH Labs) to improve its ability to measure blood hemoglobin levels. The goal of the partnership is to enhance HemaChrome’s technology, which uses smartphone algorithms in order to provide instant, noninvasive measurements.
HemaChrome’s technology uses a smartphone or computer camera to transform into a hyperspectral imager. The technology utilizes spectroscopy and computational algorithms and instantly quantifies and assesses blood hemoglobin content from a digital photo of the inner eyelid. This allows health professionals to conduct diagnostics. Point-of-care, home-based, and remote diagnostic testing can be done on patients at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.
To maximize accuracy, HemaChrome’s technology incorporates a patent-pending method to extract true colors from a digital photo. “Several factors including smartphone models, light conditions and file formats cause the actual colors to appear differently in a digital photo, so this innovation is a critical aspect of our technology and one of the key reasons GH Labs is collaborating with us — we are a pioneer in machine reading and learning of colors in the health care space,” said Young Kim, HemaChrome’s founder and chief science officer and a Purdue University researcher.
Kim developed the technology with support from his team at Purdue University, where he is a professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, a University Faculty Scholar and a Showalter Faculty Scholar.
GH Labs is a nonprofit corporation fully funded by Gates Ventures, the private office of Bill Gates. It partners with the Gates Foundation and other cross-sector leaders to develop health technology solutions for low- and middle-income countries, where many lack access to sufficient health care. Through this collaboration, GH Labs will help advance HemaChrome’s algorithms. The research collaboration agreement began in May 2024 and is expected to continue throughout 2025.
Huiri Kim, HemaChrome’s CEO, expressed excitement about the collaboration. “GH Labs’ mission is to facilitate innovation to reduce health disparities across the globe,” Kim said. “HemaChrome’s driving force is to develop technologies that make health care more readily available to the vulnerable and underserved. While our noninvasive and affordable technology will be beneficial for everyone, it will have the most significant impact for underserved populations.”
Addressing a Global Health Crisis: Anemia
Anemia is a major global health concern, affecting nearly 2 billion people globally. Traditional blood hemoglobin tests are often underutilized because they require expensive equipment, trained professionals, and invasive procedures. HemaChrome’s noninvasive method provides an accessible and affordable alternative.
“Many people, especially those in low-resource settings, don’t have the resources to be tested for anemia, so they don’t realize they’re anemic and never get treated,” Huiri Kim said.
Young Kim added that anemia can indicate numerous underlying health issues, including sickle cell disease, kidney disease, and heart failure, underscoring the need for a quick and affordable diagnostic solution.
Next Steps for HemaChrome
With support from GH Labs, HemaChrome is aiming to have a minimally viable product in late 2025. “We hope that after our current collaboration with GH Labs is completed, we can continue to partner with them on related projects, including our color calibration technology, which we believe will transform the digital health care space,” Huiri Kim said.
About HemaChrome
HemaChrome LLC is a Purdue University startup dedicated to making blood hemoglobin testing accessible and affordable using smartphone technology. Users can instantly measure hemoglobin levels by taking a picture or screenshot of the lower inner eyelid.
About Global Health Labs Inc.
Global Health Labs Inc. (GH Labs) is a nonprofit organization funded by Gates Ventures that helps support the Gates Foundation’s health strategies. GH Labs aims to advance primary health care for underserved communities.
About Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization
The Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization facilitates the commercialization and protection of Purdue University’s intellectual property.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution focused on discovery and dissemination of knowledge.
