Could a $34 smartphone device improve HIV diagnosis in Africa?

REUTERS
Julie Steenhuysen
Original Article:  reut.rs/1v1rRgD

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.

The mobile lab device, known as a dongle, cost $34 to make, compared with more than $18,000 for the gold standard diagnostic equipment. In a pilot study, the device performed all of the mechanical, optical and electronic functions of a lab-based blood test in 15 minutes, using only power drawn from the smartphone.

It was developed by a team lead by Samuel Sia, an associate professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University in New York.

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