A revolution in the size of a USB key. British researchers at Imperial College London have created a USB key that can screen in less than 30 minutes HIV(human immunodeficiency syndrome) in a drop of blood. Deposited on a small strip provided for this purpose at one end of the key, the amount of the AIDS virus can be analyzed as simply as you connect your phone or any device to your computer’s USB port.
How is it possible ? Once inserted into the computer, smartphone or tablet, the USB key sends an electrical signal that can be read by the electronic device. For patients with HIV, this connected health tool is far from being a gadget. This technology should allow patients to monitor their AIDS treatment by checking the amount of the virus in their blood. In some AIDS patients, the virus may develop a resistance to anti-retroviral treatment. This USB key could thus be a means of detecting a possible increase of the virus in the blood.
Other viruses soon detected by the USB key
The advantages of this USB key are numerous: it is first of all faster than screening tests current ones that take three days. “Monitoring viral load is crucial to the success of anti-retroviral therapy,” said Dr. Graham Cooke, of the Department of Medicine at Imperial College, in the journal Drug target.
Currently the tests often require complex and expensive equipment which gives results after a few days“The researcher adds that this technology will soon be used by HIV-positive patients to check the level of the AIDS virus in the same way as diabetics control their blood sugar.
This accessory is also seen as a more accessible and less expensive way for patients to monitor their health when health infrastructure is lacking. Imperial College London, which developed this system with the British start-up DNA electronics, is also targeting with this invention the poorest populations of the world such as sub-Saharan Africa. The works appeared in Nature.
Tests carried out with this USB key on 991 blood samples affected by the HIV virus gave 95% of efficiency. But the researchers do not intend to stop there. They plan to broaden the spectrum of viruses detected by the smart USB drive. This could, for example, detect the hepatitis virus.
#HIV test performed on #USB stick https://t.co/4p9mJUUake@imperialcollege RT pic.twitter.com/YCdGtRd0KG
– Drug Target Review (@DrugTargetRev) November 12, 2016
Scientists have developed a type of #HIV test on a USB stick https://t.co/kClJXj59fppic.twitter.com/UwekdfuhaO
– Imperial College (@imperialcollege) November 11, 2016
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