The smartphone is linked to a laboratory method. The method is normally conducted within a laboratory, meaning that samples need to be collected and sent back for analysis. With the new device, a portable version of the laboratory method can be taken into the field and the processed samples read via the new smartphone device.
The method used is based on enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). This is an established diagnostic test method that identifies antigens, in relation to disease causing pathogens like viruses and bacteria, from samples of blood. The device is a series of wells containing antibodies. If a specific antigen is present, the antibodies will bind to it signalling the presence of a specific disease. Knowing the disease quickly allows the correct treatment to be administered. The types of disease that can be picked up by ELISA include the viral diseases HIV, West Nile virus, and hepatitis B.
The new innovation uses a small ELISA device which attaches to a smartphone. The ELISA detects reactions through an array of light-emitting diodes, where light is shone through each well and collected. The smartphone then transmits the collected images to servers. The images are then processed using a bespoke algorithm and the diagnostic results are then transmitted back via the smartphone in around one minute for up to 96 tests at a time.
Tests, on mumps IgG, measles IgG, and herpes simplex virus, have shown the set-up to be over 99 percent accurate. Based on this, the device will be marketed as a novel biomedical instrument.
The development has been undertaken at UCLA’s California NanoSystems Institute. The findings have been published in the journal ACS Nano. The paper is titled “Cellphone-Based Hand-Held Microplate Reader for Point-of-Care Testing of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays.”
