Scientists have developed a mobile diagnostic device for infectious diseases such as the corona virus. Docked on a smartphone, the invention can deliver fast results.
- American researchers have developed a mobile diagnostic device for infectious diseases
- It can be connected to smartphones
- The system can examine blood and saliva
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Cincinnati – Some shy away from going to the doctor, others are constantly sitting in medical waiting rooms or in emergency rooms. Both scenarios are not necessarily the optimal solution. But in the future, visiting the doctor may become superfluous, at least in certain cases: Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have developed a kind of mini-laboratory that – connected to a smartphone – can diagnose infectious diseases using blood or saliva samples, such as malaria, HIV or the coronavirus , Especially in developing countries, the invention could help to recognize and contain diseases faster.
Coronavirus / Covid19: Scientists from the University of Cincinnati are developing a smartphone laboratory
@uofcincy engineering professor Chong Ahn is improving point-of-care diagnoses with smartphone lab and app: https://t.co/CbN5ntPzgD https://t.co/oFJu3vPt4E
– UC CEAS (@UC_CEAS) February 11, 2020
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The mobile laboratory for mobile phone was from scientists around Chong Ahn from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Ahn is at the university as professor active in electrical and biomedical engineering. This is docked by him and his colleagues device via the USB port of the phone – This not only serves for communication, but also provides the necessary sensors also with electricity. The system “is portable, user-friendly, can be fast and sensitive measurements and can be seen as an ideal POCT analyzer with minimal end user intervention, ”the researchers write. The smartphone has all the basic properties that are necessary for such an electronic system – it is especially for Developing countries suitable who do not have sufficient resources and laboratory facilities feature. The abbreviation POCT stands for Point-of-Care-Testing – and means something like patient-oriented diagnostics. In plain language: You don’t have to send samples to a laboratory, you can carry out the test on site. A study the device related to malaria detection was published in the journal Nature Microsystems & Nanoengineering.
Mobile test device: saliva is removed from the mouth with a disposable plastic chip
Apparently the American scientists were also thinking about using the smartphone camera as an optical sensor recognition use. However, the smartphone camera alone is not yet efficient enough for ultra-highly sensitive optical detection, such as that in the immunodiagnostics needed. “Therefore, it is better to use an external, highly sensitive optical detector that can be connected to the smartphone via the communication ports than to use the built-in sensors of the phone.” The device is testing a blood or saliva sample, The saliva or that is applied blood on a disposable plastic laboratory chip, which is then inserted into the tester is stuck. The researchers do not reveal exactly how much such a device should cost. But scientist Ahn emphasizes that his development “Precise, easy to use and inexpensive”. “We wanted to make it easy so everyone could use it without training or support.”
Infectious Disease Test: Results are sent directly to a doctor
Incidentally, the results are not directly for the potential patients thought – they are transferred to a doctor via the app. “This is the future of personal health care,” says graduate student Sthitodhi Ghosh, the lead author of the study. The researcher believe that the greatest obstacle to their development can be that of human beings feeling to make them feel safe enough to use the unfamiliar device at home.
The US researchers’ smartphone laboratory should also be able to detect depression
The University of Cincinnati website states that while the study “was not specifically concerned with the coronavirus,” the technique developed is generally “useful for diagnosing infectious diseases or tracking health conditions such as depression and anxiety.” “It’s a quick diagnostic tool that you can use at home,” says researcher Chong Ahn. “At the moment, the diagnosis in the laboratory takes several hours or even days, even if people show symptoms. The disease can spread. ”And that’s exactly what the researchers want to prevent with their invention in the future.
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