MChip

Background

Lateral flow test is one of the blood testing methods used, in which a blood sample or oral fluid is placed on a strip of paper. In this method, a colored band indicates infection.

People in lesser developed regions like the Sub-Saharan Africa are adversely affected by HIV/AIDS and have very limited access to clinical labs or hospitals. There have been estimates which have indicated that there are about 22.5 million people with HIV/AIDS in such regions and hence there is a high demand for portable blood test devices. Hence devices like mChip will be able to diagnose HIV/AIDS in such regions

Development

mChip was developed by scientists at Columbia University in New York City. Initial testing of this device was undertaken in a village in Rwanda, where, according to the World Health Organization, approximately 3 percent of the population has HIV/AIDS. mChip was also tested for its effectiveness in diagnosing syphilis, where, out of the 67 volunteers who turned up for testing, 63 were correctly diagnosed with an accuracy of nearly 94 percent. and is estimated to cost just US$ 1.

Operation

The operation of mChip is similar to that of ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay). The mChip contains 10 zones which detect the passage of a small amount (about 1μl) of blood. The results can be obtained in a color-coded format in about 15 minutes.

References

References

1. Christian, Torres. (July 31, 2011). "Rapid, cheap HIV test finds success as first of its kind tested in the field". [[The Washington Post]].
2. (31 July 2011). "Microfluidics-based diagnostics of infectious diseases in the developing world". Nature Medicine.
3. (August 2011). "New Portable Device Diagnoses HIV, Syphilis". [[Voice of America]].
4. (2011-08-08). "$1 tiny chip tests blood, detects HIV in 15 min". [[The Times of India]].
5. "How This 15-Minute Test Could Save Millions of Lives". Wall street Daily.
6. (2011-08-08). "U.S. Develops Rapid HIV Testing Device Takes Only 15 Minutes". [[Xinhua News Agency]].
7. (7 August 2011). "Rapid and inexpensive diagnostics for the Third World". medicalfacts.nl.
8. "MChip arrives, mini-lab for blood tests DIY". notizie.tiscali.it.
9. "Field trials of rapid, inexpensive and portable HIV test show success, researchers report". European AIDS Treatment Group.
10. "Field Trials Of Rapid, Inexpensive And Portable HIV Test Show Success, Researchers Report". US Global health policy.