Lab on a Cellphone

Malaria and the ‘last’ parasite: how can technology help?

“…Mobile health applications have rapidly been growing in recent years and there is a trend in interfacing consumer electronics such as smartphones with lateral flow RDTs or microfluidic-based devices [ 135 , 136 ]. Such combination is expected to deliver increased objectivity of test result interpretation and improved connectivity of the entire healthcare systems.…”

“…The camera of the phone was used to take a photograph of the detection zone before and after the deposition of specimen. Since then, many groups have started to develop and enhance capabilities of phone-based low cost diagnostic readers [ 136 ]. Table 6 presents an overview of recent work in developing phone-based prototypes that can be used to detect variety of biomarkers for a wide range of diseases with clinically relevant performance.…”

“…Table 6 presents an overview of recent work in developing phone-based prototypes that can be used to detect variety of biomarkers for a wide range of diseases with clinically relevant performance. Devices are designed for a broad spectrum of applications, from genetic testing, cancer detection to personalized food allergen monitoring [ 136 , 138 – 140 ]. A wide range of strategies are also derived to enhance signal strength, for instance, using Quantum dots, Rayleigh/Mie scatter or gold nanoparticles [ 141 – 143 ].…”