Tiny portable lab plugs into your phone to diagnose infectious diseases

Coronavirus: CT scans of chest could help in early diagnosis The study was published in the Nature journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering . His research team created a novel lab chip that uses natural capillary action, the tendency for a liquid to adhere to a surface, to draw a sample down two channels called a "microchannel capillary flow assay." One channel mixes the sample with freeze-dried detection antibodies. The other contains a freeze-dried luminescent material to read the results when the split samples combine again on three sensors. Ahn said the device is accurate, simple to use and inexpensive. "The performance is comparable to laboratory tests. The cost is cheaper. And it's user-friendly," Ahn said. "We wanted to make it simple so anyone could use it without training or support." UC doctoral student Sthitodhi Ghosh, the study's lead author, said the biggest advancement in the device is in the novel design of its tiny channels that naturally draw the sample through the sensor arrays using capillary flow. Ahn is Ghosh's Ph.D. advisor. "The entire test takes place on the chip automatically. You don't have to do anything. This is the future of personal healthcare," Ghosh said. While the device has applications for diagnosing or monitoring viruses or other diseases, Ahn said he sees potential in the field of mental health, where doctors already utilize smartphones to help track the wellness of patients. Source:

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