Researchers Develop A Test That Can Detect HIV In Just 10 Seconds
Researchers from the University of Surrey , in collaboration with colleagues at University College London, the Africa Health research Institute (South Africa), OJ-Bio (Newcastle), QV (holdings (Netherlands) and the Japan Radio Co Ltd, have developed a mobile test using technology found in smartphones, and it could provide doctors and carers with a virtually instantaneous way of diagnosing someone with HIV. The test uses just a single drop of blood from a patient to produce a positive test within 10 seconds. The test, announced in Scientific Reports, uses surface acoustic wave (SAW) biochips, which are based on microelectronic components found in smartphones. The disposable quartz biochips are extremely fast because they do not require complex labeling, amplification or wash steps, and a pocket-sized control box reads out the SAW signal and displays results electronically. Early detection of HIV is vital to help contain potential outbreaks, but existing tests require compl...