Three emergency medicine physicians who work for Lifespan, Rhode Island’s largest hospital system, have pioneered a way to diagnose anemia by uploading photos of a person’s inner eyelid to an iPhone app.

Anemia is a blood disorder that occurs when the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells, or hemoglobin, to distribute oxygen. The doctors co-authored a study that discovered how computation of eyelid tissue can estimate hemoglobin concentration. Dr. James Rayner, one of the study’s physicians who practices at Newport Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, said the app, called eMoglobin, will create an easy first step toward getting care for the common condition, which can be caused by a variety of factors.

Q. What did the study aim to find?

A. This study was looking at trying to develop a noninvasive way that didn’t require taking a sample of blood to calculate someone’s hemoglobin to determine whether they are anemic or not. And what we found was that there’s a correlation between the color of a person’s conjunctiva [membrane that covers the front of the eye and inner eyelid] and the hemoglobin, which allowed us to measure the hemoglobin using an iPhone camera.

Q. What was the process of developing the app?

A. The process started quite a few years ago with Doctors Gregory Jay and Selim Suner doing some studies looking at the color of the conjunctiva with a spectroscope. They found there was in fact a correlation between the readings and the measured hemoglobin of the patient. For years, they and another few other people were trying to get it into a format that was more useful. I came to medicine after getting a degree in engineering science from Oxford, and Dr. Jay said maybe I should work on this project. What we found was in the time since they used the spectroscope, smartphones have developed to a point where they take such great images that we could do analysis on the phone and get pretty good accuracy.

Q. How can this revolutionize anemia diagnosis around the world?

A. It’s particularly useful in resource-poor areas because there are places in the world where it’s hard to get into a lab or have blood drawn. Smartphones are pretty ubiquitous now. How it changes things is, if you have access to a smartphone, you can use the app to take a picture of someone’s eye and get an estimate of whether they’re anemic or not.

Right now there’s a study going on in Rwanda where they’re using the app to see if it’s useful for screening. Anemia, as in having low hemoglobin, is a sign of many conditions. Anemia is kind of a good indicator that something’s wrong and in a lot of parts of the world, sometimes the most common cause of anemia is parasitic infections. The app is certainly quite a good health screening tool to very quickly determine if someone’s anemic or not.

Q. How can people access the app?

A. The app is not publicly available yet, but will be on the Apple App Store when it’s released. It will not be available to Andriod users immediately, but the doctors intend to make it to non-iPhone users eventually.

Initially, we were hoping that it would be able to replace a blood test. It turns out it’s a little less accurate than a blood test, which is often the gold standard. We have been working on various ways to improve the accuracy. We’re trying to decide if we will continue to improve the accuracy before release, or release it as it is. In clinical terms, it works very well in determining if someone is very anemic or has normal hemoglobin, but in the middle area it has less accuracy than we’d like.

Q. What else could the app diagnose in the future?

A. This app has been more accurate than previous attempts in getting the most raw image and analyzing it in a way which is very good for looking for minor changes in the color of the image.

This means it can also be used for anything else which involves changes in color. For example, if people have liver disease, the sclera [tissue that covers most of the outside of the eyeball] can become entirely yellow looking. It will be very simple to apply the app to look at that. Or when people have meningitis, or you’re worried about when people have a possible bleed into the brain, the app can also be modified for that.

Alexa Coultoff can be reached at alexa.coultoff@globe.com. Follow her @alexacoultoff.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Unified and Strong. Republican leaders in Southern New England see the Democrats’ change of plan as a win for them.

They feel united and believe that former President Donald Trump is now in a better position to win in November.

The Republican National Convention was a major source of party unity, and Republican leaders are highlighting the strength of their party right now.

“You’ve got the Democratic Party which looks like an octopus on roller skates, quite frankly,” Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Joe Powers said Sunday night.

State Republican leaders aren’t afraid of what’s to come, as President Joe Biden announces he’s dropping out of the presidential race, providing space for a new Democratic candidate to face off against Trump.

“As far as the polls are concerned, a fresh face may intrigue some people, however I strongly doubt it’s going to sway everybody,” Powers said.

Biden is endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, to fill his spot on the ticket.

Rhode Island Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz said it’s a weak choice.

“A vote for Kamala Harris is the same thing as voting for Joe Biden. They run on a ticket. They have the same platform, the same ideals, and I believe still would have the same disastrous outcomes that we’ve seen here in the presidency of Joe Biden,” she said.

In a case of questioning Biden’s capacity to fulfill the responsibilities of leading the nation, others now questioning Harris’s ability.

“I’ll be interested to see if Kamala withstands the pressure of the highlight and spotlight of a presidential campaign,” said Sue Cienki, former GOP chair.

Even with Biden’s endorsement, the decision of who will run against Trump will be made next month at the Democratic National Convention.

WASHINGTON — Democrats Sunday applauded President Joe Biden’s decision to bow out of the presidential race, and some quickly said they support his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nominee, four months before the November elections.

Congressional Democrats lauded Biden for his record and for passing the torch to a new generation. Democrats for weeks pressured the president to withdraw from the race following a disastrous June 27 debate that rattled their belief the president could defeat Donald J. Trump in a rematch.

“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a one-page letter he posted to X, formerly Twitter.

Shortly after the announcement, Biden endorsed Harris in a separate social media post.

In a statement, Harris said she was honored to have Biden’s endorsement and that her “intention is to earn and win this nomination.”

“We have 107 days until Election Day,” she said. “Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.”

Clintons endorse Harris

Citing Trump as a threat to democracy and the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity, former President Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said in a joint statement that “now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her.”

Former President Barack Obama said in a statement that Biden is “a patriot of the highest order.”

“I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight,” Obama said. “For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life.”

Obama stopped short of endorsing Harris, but said he has the “extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, who chairs the Senate Committee on Appropriations, said in a statement that she is supportive of Harris and believes the vice president can beat Trump.

“She is exactly the woman we need to prosecute the case against Donald Trump, save American democracy, lead the fight to restore abortion rights, and build an economy that puts working people — not billionaires — first,” Murray said. “I will do everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as our next President.”

If Harris is formally nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which is a month away, she would become the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to become a major party’s presidential nominee.

Florida Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor said in a statement that she has full confidence in Harris as the new Democratic nominee for president.

“There is a lot at stake in this election,” she said. “She is a fighter who stands up for reproductive freedoms, civil rights, lowering costs for families and lifting up all Americans.”

Republicans called for Biden to resign from office, arguing that because he is dropping out of the race, he is unfit to continue in the Oval Office.

“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President,” House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana wrote on X.

Montana Republican Steve Daines, who chairs the Senate GOP campaign arm, said in a statement that he is calling on Biden to resign because “of concern for our country’s national security.”

“Being President is the hardest job in the world, and I no longer have confidence that Joe Biden can effectively execute his duties as Commander-in-Chief,” Daines said.

Trump posted a highly critical statement to his social media site, Truth Social.

“Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve – And never was!” he wrote.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did not call for Biden to step down as president, but criticized his record in a short written statement.

“For four years, the American people have faced historic inflation at home, chaos at the border, and weak leadership on the world stage,” the Kentucky Republican wrote. “Our nation is less prosperous and less secure than it was in January, 2021. We cannot afford four more years of failure.”

‘Putting country over ego’

Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, who was the first congressional Democrat to call for Biden to step down, said in a statement that the president is “putting country over ego in a way that Donald Trump never could.”

He added that while Harris “is clearly the leading candidate, we should be open to all talented individuals who wish to be considered.”

Rhode Island U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said in a statement that he saluted Biden’s decision to end his campaign for a second term.

“Let no one underestimate how hard this was,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries both commended the president on his record, but neither gave their support to Harris.

“Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he is a truly amazing human being,” Schumer said. “His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first.”

Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, who earlier this month raised concerns that Trump could win in a landslide, thanked Biden in a social media post for stepping aside because it has “given us the chance to beat Donald Trump and give our children the future they deserve.”

Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen said in a statement that Biden has “always put our country first, and in making this decision, he has once again done what he thinks is best for the future of our democracy.”

Sen. Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, said in a statement that he respected Biden’s decision to step down.

“While there has to be an orderly process and the decision ultimately rests in the hands of the DNC delegates, I believe Vice President Harris has the experience, energy, and resolve to lead our nation,” he said.

Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said in a statement that she “proudly and enthusiastically” supports Harris “whom I believe is the very best person in this moment to unify the Democratic Party and lead us forward to victory.”

“The work is not done,” Smith said. “In fact it is just beginning.”