HIV test ... from DVD drive

Do not rush to throw away your old DVD drives!
A team of scientists from Stockholm managed to turn a regular DVD drive into an affordable laser microscope, with which it is possible to perform a blood test and even detect a disease from HIV.
“Using a regular DVD player, we created a cheap device for analyzing DNA, RNA, proteins, and even cells,” says Aman Russom, the project manager.

Standard HIV tests use a laser flow cytometry method to calculate the number of CD4 cells , the lack of which can serve as an indicator of the disease. But such tests require complex equipment, which can cost up to $ 30,000, which makes them inaccessible for developing countries. But the new, so-called “Lab on DVD” for mass production can cost less than $ 200 and is also much more mobile.

The low cost of the technology makes it suitable as a diagnostic and analytical tool in clinical practice, close to the patient. And because it produces a very fast analysis, he does not need to go home and wait for the result. He can get it right on the first visit to the doctor.