What looks like dots on a simple piece of paper could be the key to quickly diagnosing Ebola and other infectious diseases.
"It's bio-based diagnostics," said Keith Pardee, research scientist at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. "Potentially, they could identify people more rapidly and define the outbreak more easily."
Known as a paper-based gene circuit, researchers at Wyss Institute at Harvard University developed the test that uses a patient's blood or saliva and a piece of blotting paper embedded with genetic information.
Each spot is a potential diagnostic test for Ebola or any other infection, bacterial or viral
"It's just like pH paper or a pregnancy test, with the advantage that we can sort of rapidly reprogram those tests to look for Ebola or look for some other emerging pathogen," Pardee explained.
The test can tell the difference between strains of infections and could one day be used at your home to diagnose a flu or cold.
"And that can help inform you as to whether you should go into the doctor to seek medical treatment or take antibiotics, things like that," said Pardee.
It's a simple test with a huge impact.
The portable paper diagnostic test costs between four and 60 cents to make. It can be freeze-dried and used up to a year later out in the field or anywhere in the world.
Pardee and his researchers hope to solve some of the key technological challenges within a year and then make the test commercially available. Once available, results will take only 30 to 60 minutes.
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