Accessory for smartphone determines the presence of HIV and syphilis in 15 minutes

The cost is only 34 dollars

A team of researchers from Columbia University headed by Professor Samuel Sia has developed a very cheap device that connects to a smartphone and allows you to test the presence of two dangerous diseases in just 15 minutes, according to the publication Science Daily. The project was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wallace Coulter Foundation.

The created test is performed on the blood of a finger and combines the mechanical, optical and electronic functions of laboratory studies. This, in particular, is an enzyme immunoassay, all the necessary energy for which is obtained from a smartphone connected to the device. A triple immunoassay is carried out, the presence of HIV antibodies, specific treponemal syphilis antibodies and non-treponemal antibodies of active syphilis infection are determined.

The test set is connected to a smartphone or a regular computer. He has already been tested in Rwanda for 96 subjects, among whom were patients of clinics for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission and clients of voluntary testing centers. February 4 results published in the medical journal Science Translational Medicine. They spent only half an hour on instructing the staff. 97% of patients recommend the device to others.

The specific size of the gadget is not reported, but indicated that it fits in the hand of a person. To work you need to connect to a computer or smartphone and reagent cassettes as in the traditional enzyme immunoassay. According to Sia, the production cost of the device is $ 34, which is significantly lower than the typical equipment for carrying out an ELISA ($ 18,450).
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The research kit was designed for places where there might be power outages, so two solutions were introduced to reduce energy consumption. The electric pump for moving reagents from the cassette was replaced with a user-driven mechanical pump that performs the same work. And energy and information are transmitted through the audio connector, which is virtually standardized in all modern manufacturers of smartphones.

According to Sia, the results show that an immunoassay laboratory that is financially accessible to almost all segments of the population can be implemented as an accessory for an ordinary consumer phone. Such devices can significantly change the face of health care around the world.