Mobile devices don't have to be limited to consumption. With the right ideas and enough development, they can do much more than their manufacturers imagine. In the past we've seen things like dosimeters that help detect radioactivity, but this time Columbia University has created an accessory capable of performing HIV and syphilis tests with a smartphone in just fifteen minutes.
Blood tests represent a tedious process. The last time I had one I had to get up before dawn, go on an empty stomach, and wait a couple of hours (only to be told my state is similar to the Parthenon). Even so, tests are also a critical resource that helps specialists diagnose multiple conditions. On more than one occasion, the idea of bringing the mechanics of tests closer to people has been proposed. The most convincing proof is found in glucose meters (i.e., glucometers), which with a single drop of blood indicate blood glucose levels, a fundamental piece of data for all diabetics. Now, what happens with more complex tests? No one doubts that the lab will continue to offer the highest levels of precision and safety, but we've already come across accessories like Cue, and now comes portable HIV testing.
A group of researchers stationed at Columbia University has developed a device that connects to any Android and iOS smartphone, and in just fifteen minutes can perform HIV and syphilis tests. The original text explains that the device applies the ELISA technique to detect the presence of HIV, treponemal antibodies linked to syphilis, and non-treponemal antibodies in active syphilis infections. Until now, labs do not offer a single format to perform these three tests at the same time, and if someone wants an ELISA platform they will have to pay almost twenty thousand dollars for it, but the cost of the accessory is only 34 dollars, a real bargain if we consider its importance.
Its operation has some similarities with the glucometer, since everything begins with a drop of blood that is loaded into a collector. Then, the collector is inserted into a microfluidic cartridge, the app is opened on the smartphone, and the cartridge is connected to the accessory. The black button releases the necessary reagents for the tests, and in a quarter of an hour or less, the smartphone presents the results. Unfortunately, the researchers still have a lot of work ahead. Pilot tests of the accessory have revealed some margin of false positives, and its design still needs to be miniaturized. We expect to know more about the accessory very soon.
