A group of U.S. researchers have developed a low-cost smartphone dongle that can simultaneously detect HIV and syphilis from a finger prick of blood in just 15 minutes.
The device, developed by the researchers at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science, led by Samuel K. Sia, can perform a point-of-care test that simultaneously detects three infectious disease markers.
The device replicates, for the first time, all mechanical, optical and electronic functions of a lab-based blood test, they said.
The device performs an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) without requiring any stored energy: all necessary power is drawn from the smartphone. It performs a triplexed immunoassay not currently available in a single test format: HIV antibody, treponemal-specific antibody for syphilis, and non-treponemal antibody for active syphilis infection.
By Ruchi Singh
The device, developed by the researchers at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science, led by Samuel K. Sia, can perform a point-of-care test that simultaneously detects three infectious disease markers.
The device replicates, for the first time, all mechanical, optical and electronic functions of a lab-based blood test, they said.
The device performs an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) without requiring any stored energy: all necessary power is drawn from the smartphone. It performs a triplexed immunoassay not currently available in a single test format: HIV antibody, treponemal-specific antibody for syphilis, and non-treponemal antibody for active syphilis infection.
By Ruchi Singh
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