Smartphone Device May Improve Disease Detection In Developing Countries, Researchers Say

International Business Times: HIV and syphilis can be detected in minutes using cheap, lab-on-chip device
“A cheap device that can detect HIV and syphilis from a drop of blood in less than 15 minutes has been developed by U.S. and Rwandan researchers…” (Jayalakshmi K, 2/5).

Reuters: Could a $34 smartphone device improve HIV diagnosis in Africa?
“A $34 device that plugs into the audio jack of a smartphone was nearly as effective as far more costly diagnostic blood testing equipment in identifying antibodies for HIV and syphilis in a pilot study in Africa, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday…” (Steenhuysen, 2/4).

Science Magazine: Lab on a chip turns smart phones into mobile disease clinics
“…Compared with gold standard laboratory tests, the dongle was 96% as accurate in detecting infections, missing just one case of latent syphilis, the team reports online today in Science Translational Medicine. … The researchers are now preparing a larger scale trial for the $34 device, which they hope will let mobile clinics and health workers provide rapid and reliable disease screening in the remotest areas of the world” (Weiler, 2/4).

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