Justin Benedict R. BennettMSE 160 Innovation and Technology Class

The Lab That Fits In Your Hand

The Lab That Fits In Your Hand

Justin Benedict R. BennettMSE 160 Innovation and Technology Class

The Lab That Fits In Your Hand

Insert Lab Card here

with Antigens

Blood inserted here

Justin Benedict R. BennettMSE 160 Innovation and

Technology ClassThe Lab That Fits In Your Hand

Handy lab made for HIV/AIDS victims in Africa

“In the U.S. point of view, point-of-care devices like this are attractive because they are more convenient.

Sam Sia, biomedical engineer, designer of incubator

Why all the fuss?

Quick Accurate Results

More efficient clinical workflows

Lower cost of operation and enhanced customer experience ($100 per kit)

[However] In developing countries, there simply is no alternative.”

Justin Benedict R. BennettMSE 160 Innovation and

Technology ClassThe Lab That Fits In Your Hand

Top 5 Diseases in the Philippines

Respiratory Tract Infection

Diarrhea

Dengue

Typhoid

Malaria

Justin Benedict R. BennettMSE 160 Innovation and Technology Class

The Lab That Fits In Your Hand

Justin Benedict R. BennettMSE 160 Innovation and Technology Class

The Lab That Fits In Your Hand

Step-by-Step Use1. Add Blood Sample: A worker draws a drop of blood into a

tube and attaches the tube to holes in the card. Then she puts the card into the handheld analyzer. Inside, a micropump—essentially a small vacuum—sucks the blood through a series of detection zones made up of tiny zigzagging channels.

2. Trap Signs of Disease: In each zone, the walls are lined with a different antibody or antigen—a molecule that binds to disease-indicating proteins—that makes those proteins stick to the sides as blood flows by. One zone captures anti-HIV antibodies, one collects syphilis markers, and in the future, the other zones will trap more STDs. The blood passes a blank zone, used to rule out false positives, and pools on paper to avoid a mess.

Justin Benedict R. BennettMSE 160 Innovation and Technology Class

The Lab That Fits In Your Hand

Step-by-Step Use3. Make the Signs Visible: Microscopic disease proteins are hard to

detect, so two kinds of molecules turn them a color that the analyzer can measure. The molecules (prepackaged in the card) travel to the detection zones when the vacuum sucks them up through channels, across the blood-sample tube and down to the detection zones. (The path lengths ensure that the molecules reach the zones in the right order.) The first set, antibodies tagged with gold nanoparticles, attach to any captured proteins. A silver development solution follows, plating onto the gold particles to form easily seen silver.

4. Get the Results: The solid silver is visible to the naked eye, but a photodetector in the analyzer measures the intensity of each zone more exactly. That lets it determine if there’s enough silver, and thus enough trapped proteins, to indicate disease. Then it flashes yes or no on its digital display—with accuracy similar to lab tests—just 20 minutes after the first finger prick.

Justin Benedict R. BennettMSE 160 Innovation and

Technology ClassThe Lab That Fits In Your Hand