A Portable device presented by a group of scientists from the US in this year’s Grand Challenges Annual Meeting in Dakar, Senegal has caught the attention of many. The device according to reports, can detect and diagnose chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis, Mycoplasma genitalium, antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea and antibiotic-resistant Mycoplasma genitalium
It will be the first of a kind that can detect sexually transmitted diseases through either vaginal swabs or penile urine sample. The interesting part is that the gadget works in 20 minutes or less.
Elaine Ng, a scientist from MagIC Lifescience based in California says that the gadget will provide immediate solutions with affordable and easy to use being other advantages of this gadget.
“Physicians currently have to send patient specimens to labs then wait for results. Sometimes patients have to wait for many days. Point-of-Care (POC) testing is an invaluable resource in many clinical settings. Especially in remote, low resource, low income settings, and low- and middle-income countries. Current available laboratory tests remain cost-prohibitive, inaccessible and require trained and skilled operators to run. This is why MagIC Lifescience is providing an affordable, easy-to-use and ultra-fast POC diagnostic solution for clinical applications.”
Ultra high sensors and multiplex capabilities is what makes the gadget work perfectly. Running tests in less than 20 minutes and providing accurate results. According to experts, The core technology behind the MagChipR Platform GMR biosensors are magnetic-based field sensors. These sensors provide several advantages over conventional fluorescent and optical-based detection methods. They offer lower background noise and a higher signal-to-noise ratio due to sample matrix insensitivity.
Scientist gave their statement highlighting the benefits of their gadget when it comes to combating STIs. “Our analyser can be made truly point-of-care, portable, affordable, and accessible. This is by reducing footprint and cost while maintaining a simple user workflow for untrained operators.”
The gadget will come in handy if it proceeds to manufacturing phase. STIs can be well controlled if they are diagnosed early. The gadget being portable makes it even more useful and efficient. This will be a good contribution to the medical fraternity as it will save time and efficiency.