Estimating Protein Concentration in Latex Gloves with Deep Learning

An accurate and rapid deep learning system for estimating protein concentration, which expedites testing in the production of latex gloves.

Prof. Dr. Ir. Sim Kok Swee

Currently, ASTM D5712 is used to measure protein concentration so that protein of the glove will not exceed threshold. But this method has several limitations. 

1. Time taken for protein determination. A long duration of 6 hours is required to complete the compliance test. This will cause a global shortage of gloves because it takes longer time to test the quality of the glove, leading to low productivity and late distribution of gloves. 

2. Cost of the glove. The shortage of gloves and the longer processing time in determining the protein concentration, add to the price of gloves.

3. Safety of the medical staff. Longer processing time on protein determination during production could not make the supply chain fast. There will be not enough gloves provided to medical staff. This will jeopardize the safety of medical staff who will face a large number of COVID-19 patients under a glove shortage condition.

4. Cost of ASTM D5712. Due to the use of numerous chemical reagents and equipment, the total cost of ASTM D5712 for protein determination is high. This cost could indirectly add to the price of the glove in the market and make them more expensive.

The Deep Learning System Estimation Protein Concentration in Latex Gloves (DLPE) system is used to perform estimation of total protein content in an easier and effective way. With DLPE, we can help the quality assurance section in glove manufacture to speed up the protein assessment on the gloves and also to ensure the quality of gloves. Besides, we also can indirectly help them to increase glove productivity since the DLPE is able to provide a quick protein determination test within 1 hour.

In addition, the DLPE also can be used in the field of healthcare. Since medical staff always wear gloves during medical treatment and are constantly exposed to latex over time, it is important for them to know the protein level of the gloves they wear to avoid allergies. Under unforeseen circumstances, if the glove manufacturer is unable to provide the medical staff with the glove protein assessment, the DLPE can be used as the alternative test by the medical staff to test protein level of gloves. The process of DLPE is very simple and only requires basic skill to perform the protein test.   

The DLPE system is able to a low-cost protein determination assessment compared to ASTM D5712. Besides, we also do not need to use various chemical reagents for testing. The following list shows the cost-effectiveness of the DLPE system compared to ASTM D5712.

List of Laboratory Equipment and Costs for ASTM D5712

1) Analytical balances= £ 372.85

2) Centrifuge machine= £ 636.17

3) Adjustable pipette= £ 477.17

4) Microchannel pipettes= £ 1544.98

5) Laboratory mount bottle= £ 8.88

6) Glass rod= £ 3.73

7)  Stainless Steel Forceps= £ 4.08

8) Orbital Shaker= £ 699.09

9) Microcentrifuge tube= £ 4.08

10) Cryogenic tube= £ 2.37

11) Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) plate= £ 14.82

Total cost= £ 3768.22 per test

List of Laboratory Equipment and Costs for DLPE system

1) Analytical balances= £ 372.85

2) Petri dish= £ 4.78

3) Stainless Steel Forceps= £ 4.08

4)Falcon conical centrifuge tube= £ 8.56

5) Roller cutter= £ 2.6

6) Pedestal fan= £ 13.29

7) Drying rack= £ 6.2

Total cost= £ 412.36 per test

The current coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly changed our perspective of the risk for infection from contact, and the use of personal protective eqipment (PPE) which usually reserved for health care workers (HCWs) has spread to the citizens. Although COVID-19’s main way of transmission is through respiratory droplets from person-to-person, hand-to-face contact plays a substantial role in upper respiratory tract infections. That is why, latex gloves are important protective equipment to protect the hand against the virus. However, latex gloves that contain high protein will create allergies for people who are constantly exposed to latex over time. Those people can be medical staff, patients, and rubber manufacturing workers. So, to avoid using the glove with high protein concentration, a DLPE system is used to perform the protein assessment. The DLPE can estimate the concentration of total protein in latex medical gloves in a large quantity in a fast manner and at a low cost. In addition, the DLPE is able to expeditiously help in ensuring the produced latex medical gloves conform to the acceptable level of total protein concentration before dispatching out. In this way, the possibility of allergies to the user when wearing gloves can be reduced.

Over the next one year, our project can impact the glove industry and bring benefits to it. The technology used can shorten the time taken in determining the protein contained in the gloves. With deep learning technology, the protein analysis in gloves can be done by artificial intelligence (AI). It can minimize the error done by humans. Moreover, artificial intelligence can work continuously 24/7 without resting which can reduce the workload of a person. Compared to the traditional method, the time has been shortened from 6 hours to 60 minutes.

In the next three years, we can introduce this project to glove manufacturing to analyse glove protein. The manufacturer may notice either the latex gloves produced have excessive protein or not. This project can be commercialized or doing services for the gloves manufacturing. Besides, with the simple operation characteristics of the DLPE system, even the medical staff can easily use it to test the protein concentration level of latex gloves. 

First of all, artificial intelligence must obtain a higher accuracy compared to the traditional method. It can describe clearly and understand sentences based on image analysis. It can generate the analysis information.

Second, our project is able to give services to those who need them.  For example, the manufacture where the DLPE system can provide a low-cost protein determination test that taken less time to complete as compared to ASTM D5712.

Barriers 1: Financial 

Since we are doing the research on latex gloves, we need to purchase a variety of gloves, chemicals, protective equipment, chemical test and many more. Thus, the purchasing cost will be huge. For detail, it can refer to previous mentioned list of Laboratory Equipment and Costs for ASTM D5712 and DLPE system

Overcome 1:

We need to have financial aid in order to have enough cash for buying the material we need to carry out research projects. With enough materials, we can obtain more data to enhance our results.

Barriers 2: Facility

Since our project involves chemicals, a facility that provides controlled conditions (clean environment, personal protective equipment provided) is needed.

Overcome 2:

We can find and request a laboratory suitable for research, but first we need to have sufficient funds to rent the facility.

1. Malaysia Rubber Board (MRB)

2. Synergy Integreted Resources Snd Bhd 

3. Tan Sin Lian Industries Sdn. Bhd.

We apply to join The Trinity Challenge because our interest is in line to its objective in preventing and reducing pandemics such as COVID-19. Moreover, the number of covid clusters has increased every day which could affect the economy worldwide as well as Malaysia. With Trinity Challenge’s funding, we could provide our solution by helping the glove industry in determining the glove protein so that the glove companies can produce comfortable and less allergic gloves. We have a strong fundamental on our solution whereby we can give an impact on the glove industry and help to reduce COVID-19.