Dengue detection smartphone tech shows new hope for low-cost diagnostics
New research paper shows clinical sensitivity on par with lab-based
testing

Date:
April 8, 2022
Source:
University of Reading
Summary:
Accurate home testing could be used for a wider range of illnesses,
as new research shows the capability of smartphone-powered tests
for Dengue Fever.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Accurate home testing could be used for a wider range of illnesses,
as new research shows the capability of smartphone-powered tests for
Dengue Fever.


==========================================================================
In a paper published inPLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases today, biomedical technology researchers from the University of Reading used a new
diagnostic kit called Cygnus to detect Dengue Fever with significantly
improved rates over lateral flow testing kits.

Working with academics and clinicians in Thailand, the team trialled
the tests alongside already established alternatives in and found the
new tests showed 82% clinical sensitivity, beating lateral flow testing
(74% sensitivity) and matching hospital-based lab diagnostics (83% sensitivity). At the same time, these devices make 10 measurements
allowing us to identify which of the 4 different dengue virus types
caused the infection.

Dr Sarah Needs, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Microfluidic
Antimicrobial Resistance Testing from the University of Reading is lead
author of the paper.

Dr Needs said: "The paper shows exciting potential for the use of the microfluidic 'lab on a strip' tests that can used in conjunction with
a smartphone and are more powerful than LFT testing in this case. As
well as being cheap to produce, the lab on a strip technology allows
users to test many different targets at once in one single sample,
so it could be useful to detect multiple diseases not just one.



==========================================================================
Lab on a strip The new diagnostic test developed for the research uses
'lab on a strip' technology, which performs 10 or more tests a very
small amount of liquid sample (such as blood, urine or saliva).

The tests developed for the research were specifically developed to detect Dengue Fever, which affects an estimated 400m cases each year. While most
cases are mild, dengue infections can lead to significant complications
and can be fatal. Dengue can be most severe in children and is a serious
health challenge facing half the global population.

Dr Alexander Edwards, Associate Professor in Biomedical Technology at
the University of Reading co-created the lab on a strip technology.

Dr Edwards said: "While some people might only recently learned of the trade-offs between home vs lab testing following Covid-19, in many parts
of the world rapid lateral flow tests are used for a range of illnesses including dengue.

"With the Cygnus concept, we are tackling the biggest hurdle for home
testing.

How do you make something portable that can be cheaply mass produced while still matching laboratory test performance? By designing the microfluidic
lab on a strip using mass-production melt-extrusion it is possible to
scale up production and produce hundreds of thousands of tests. By
recording results with smartphones, which are becoming ubiquitous,
we have designed something that could be revolutionary for healthcare."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Reading. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Sarah Helen Needs, Sirintra Sirivisoot, Sophie Jegouic, Tanapan
Prommool,
Prasit Luangaram, Chatchawan Srisawat, Kanokwan Sriraksa, Wannee
Limpitikul, Dumrong Mairiang, Prida Malasit, Panisadee Avirutnan,
Chunya Puttikhunt, Alexander Daniel Edwards. Smartphone multiplex
microcapillary diagnostics using Cygnus: Development and evaluation
of rapid serotype- specific NS1 detection with dengue patient
samples. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2022; 16 (4): e0010266
DOI: 10.1371/ journal.pntd.0010266 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220408103139.htm

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