Smartphone To Detect HIV Infection
Online activist Thy Sovantha, 19, (L) and her friend use their mobile phones and social media in a cafe in Phnom Penh December 11, 2014. Security camera footage of the shooting of businessman Ung Meng Cheu went viral in Cambodia, illustrating the burgeoning power of social media in a youthful country where internet usage has soared in recent years. The internet's popularity poses both a threat and an opportunity to iron-fisted Prime Minister Hun Sen, who in January 2015 celebrated 30 years in power. Picture taken December 11, 2014. REUTERS/Samrang Pring Reuters/Samrang Pring

A small device attached to a mobile phone is sufficient to perform a HIV test and obtain result in not more than 15 minutes, says Tassaneewan Laksanasopin and her team at Columbia University in New York.

A droplet of blood from finger-pricking as in blood grouping is all the device needs to perform the HIV test. The blood thus collected is placed on the plastic collectors that contain the reagents that respond to the disease specific-antibodies present in the blood. The collector is then inserted into the testing unit that is attached to the smartphone through the headphone slot. The testing unit gets power from the mobile phone, hence no external power supply or expensive laboratory equipment is required to complete the test.

A rubber bulb attached to the unit is pressed to create a vacuum to draw the blood inside. The unit has the chip which checks for the antibodies that are analysed by the mobile phone application to deliver a clear diagnosis.

The HIV test done with the smartphone cost around $34 each, said Laksanasopin. Other low-cost HIV diagnosing methods in the market either deliver unclear results or could not be interpreted. On the other hand, laboratory testing method would be too expensive, quoted the researcher. The device can be used to perform the test with a new plastic chip every time, said the researcher. The reagents are stable for 6 months in room temperature and therefore doesn’t incur wastage costs in usage in developing countries, said Laksanasopin.

The researcher said that 100 percent accuracy is expected in detecting the HIV infection. She also added that 8 percent of false positive results obtained could be clarified in the laboratory tests that would be performed as a part of routine HIV treatment. Social workers in the developing countries could make use of this device to test HIV infection and assist in prevention and treatment of AIDS, said the researcher.

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