My cell phone, my test lab!

Roberto Saracco February 18, 2015 Blog 132 Views

I have posted over these six years a number of news showing the use of a cell phone to perform diagnostic activities. This is just one more, although the diagnostics performed are way more complex than the previous ones.
A team of researchers at the Columbia University have created a "test kit" to detect HIV and syphilis in 15 minutes.
The testing combines micro-fluidic with the processing provided by a cell phone (or an iPod) to detect in 15 minutes the presence of specific antibodies as tell-tale of HIV or syphilis.
The procedure. from the point of view of a nurse in the field (or even the patient himself although I do not see this as a realistic scenario…), is quite easy. You prick a finger and collect a single droplet of blood. That is enough, see the clip, for the fluidic computer to detect the presence of antibodies. An app on the cell phone does the required processing and displays the result. 
So, is it just a different, more practical way to perform these analyses? The greatest advantage of this method is in the economics. The researchers expect that the kit (and needed reagent) will cost some 34$. Compare this with the over 18,000$ needed for the present analyses and you see the difference.
Remember, technology makes it possibile, economics make the difference!

About Roberto Saracco

Roberto Saracco fell in love with technology and its implications long time ago. His background is in math and computer science. Until April 2017 he led the EIT Digital Italian Node and then was head of the Industrial Doctoral School of EIT Digital up to September 2018. Previously, up to December 2011 he was the Director of the Telecom Italia Future Centre in Venice, looking at the interplay of technology evolution, economics and society. At the turn of the century he led a World Bank-Infodev project to stimulate entrepreneurship in Latin America. He is a senior member of IEEE where he leads the New Initiative Committee and co-chairs the Digital Reality Initiative. He is a member of the IEEE in 2050 Ad Hoc Committee. He teaches a Master course on Technology Forecasting and Market impact at the University of Trento. He has published over 100 papers in journals and magazines and 14 books.

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