Scientists have created a video microscope that can be attached to one's smartphone to detect blood parasites.
The new smartphone microscope could detect a parasitic worm in a tiny drop of blood, and could be used to help control debilitating filarial diseases in Africa, the University of California, Berkeley reported.
"We previously showed that mobile phones can be used for microscopy, but this is the first device that combines the imaging technology with hardware and software automation to create a complete diagnostic solution," said Daniel Fletcher, an associate chair and professor of bioengineering, whose UC Berkeley lab pioneered the CellScope. "The video CellScope provides accurate, fast results that enable health workers to make potentially life-saving treatment decisions in the field."
The video CellScope used motion, as opposed to molecular markers or fluorescent stains, to detect the movement of these potentially harmful worms. The researchers demonstrated this technique was just as accurate as conventional screening methods.
"This research is addressing neglected tropical diseases," Fletcher said. "It demonstrates what technology can do to help fill a void for populations that are suffering from terrible, but treatable, diseases."
River blindness is transmitted through the bites of blackflies, while Lymphatic filariasis is spread by mosquitos and can lead to disfiguring and debilitating elephantiasis; both of these conditions are highly endemic in regions of Africa. The antiparasitic drug ivermectin (IVM) can treat both of these diseases, but can be fatal if given to patients who are also infected with Loa loa or African eye worms. This is why screening for Loa loa in the blood is crucial.
The new CellScope Loa consists of a smartphone with a 3-D-printed plastic base that holds blood samples. The base is composed of "LED lights, microcontrollers, gears, circuitry and a USB port." An app allows users to control the device and view the test results.
"The availability of a point-of-care test prior to drug treatment is a major advance in the control of these debilitating diseases," said aquatic ecologist Vincent Resh, a professor in UC Berkeley's Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management. "The research offering a phone-based app is ingenious, practical and highly needed."
The breakthrough was published in a recent edition of the journal Science Translation Medicine.
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