Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valerian Turbe, Carina Herbst, Thobeka Mngomezulu, Sepehr Meshkinfamfard, Nondumiso Dlamini, Thembani Mhlongo, Theresa Smit, Valeriia Cherepanova, Koki Shimada, Jobie Budd, Nestor Arsenov, Steven Gray, Deenan Pillay, Kobus Herbst, Maryam Shahmanesh, Rachel A. McKendry
Summary: Deep learning algorithms were used to classify images of rapid HIV tests acquired in rural South Africa, showing high levels of sensitivity and specificity compared to human visual interpretation. This study lays the foundation for a new paradigm of deep learning-enabled diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries, with the potential to improve healthcare system efficiency and patient outcomes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nadia Sitoe, Julia Sambo, Nedio Mabunda, Neuza Nguenha, Jorfelia Chilaule, Julio Rafael, Anesio Macicame, Imelda Chelene, Chishamiso Mudenyanga, Jillian Sacks, Sofia Viegas, Osvaldo Loquiha, Ilesh Jani
Summary: This study evaluated the performance of nasal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 detection in resource-poor settings and assessed the clinical performance of three nasal swab-based antigen rapid tests. The results showed that nasal swabs had slightly lower sensitivity compared to oropharyngeal swabs, and the COVIOS Ag-RDT did not meet the requirements set by the WHO. Nasal swab-based antigen rapid tests are a viable and accurate diagnostic option in resource-poor settings.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Sergei Perkov, Viktor Vorobev, Maxim A. Kurochkin, Sergey Gorodkov, Dmitry Gorin
Summary: This study aims to advance personalized prognosis of hemangioma by developing a rapid hyperspectral sensor that can quantify hemoglobin oxygenation and vascularization dynamics. Clinical studies have shown a 90% agreement between the quantitative parameter and clinician's conclusion. This method has the potential to be used as a supportive tool for accurate hemangioma diagnostics in clinics.
JOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Erica Frew, Douglas Roberts, Shelly Barry, Matthew Holden, Amanda Restell Mand, Emily Mitsock, Enqing Tan, Wei Yu, Johan Skog
Summary: To address the challenges posed by the novel coronavirus, a cost-effective and rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test has been developed, capable of identifying the presence of the virus in patient anterior nares swab samples with high sensitivity and no requirement for equipment or laboratory infrastructure.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiang Xu, Wenhao Suo, Youlian Goulev, Lei Sun, Liam Kerr, Johan Paulsson, Yan Zhang, Taotao Lao
Summary: The novel microfluidic test kit combines ultra-high throughput hydrodynamic filtration and sandwich immunoassay techniques for rapid separation and enrichment of antigens, demonstrating high detection sensitivity, low cost, and suitability for areas with inadequate medical infrastructure and limited laboratory resources.
Review
Pathology
Minh D. Pham, Mark Stoove, Suzanne Crowe, Stanley Luchters, David Anderson
Summary: Rapid POC CD4 tests can improve patients' access to CD4 testing and decentralize HIV services. Visitect(R) CD4 and Visitect(R) CD4 Advanced Disease are user-friendly tests acceptable to health care workers, feasible for primary health care settings, and provide reliable results for clinical decision-making.
EXPERT REVIEW OF MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Cid Ramon Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Mark Hansen, Alexandros Ch Stratakos
Summary: This study presents a practical method for identifying foodborne pathogenic bacteria using a Raman handheld device. The method is simple, low-cost, and achieves high accuracy in identifying monocultures in a shorter time.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
T. Lenssen, J. Dankelman, T. Horeman
Summary: A steerable laparoscopic instrument platform with modular detachability and tip steerability features was designed for low resource settings. The experiments showed that the instrument platform had good modularity and maneuverability. The results indicated short assembly and disassembly time and the ability for novices to handle the instrument independently after minimal training. The design of the instrument is expected to reduce purchasing and repair costs.
MEDICAL ENGINEERING & PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Pachamuthu Balakrishnan, A. S. Smiline Girija, Saravanan Shanmugam, Iyanar Kannan, Ramachandran Vignesh, Esaki M. M. Shankar, Sree T. T. Sucharitha
Summary: In resource-limited settings, HIV testing is lacking among high-risk key populations due to stigma, discrimination, and lack of confidentiality. Wider accessibility of HIV self-testing (HIV-ST) is needed to reach those who may not have access to testing. HIV-ST has the potential to improve access to testing among high-risk populations and their partners, but implementation barriers need to be addressed for effective policy implementation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Naoki Uno, Ziyue Li, Lori Avery, Maroun M. Sfeir, Changchun Liu
Summary: CRISPR technology combined with isothermal amplification has been used as a powerful biosensing tool for sensitive nucleic acid detection. However, integrating isothermal amplification into CRISPR detection in a one-pot system has been challenging. In this study, a simple CRISPR gel biosensing platform was developed for HIV RNA detection, which successfully detected down to 30 copies of HIV RNA per test within 30 minutes.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Fei Hu, Yanfei Liu, Shuhao Zhao, Zengming Zhang, Xichen Li, Niancai Peng, Zhuangde Jiang
Summary: A one-pot CRISPR/Cas13a-based visual biosensor was developed for rapid and low-cost nucleic acid detection. This method meets the need for rapid nucleic acid detection at home and on-site, and is suitable for resource-limited areas and epidemic outbreaks. The system has a limit of detection of 3 copy/μL and provides accurate results with shorter time and lower cost.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Golden Apuleni, Choolwe Jacobs, Patrick Musonda
Summary: The study indicated that health care seeking behaviors for common childhood illnesses in poor resource settings in Zambia were relatively high and could be predicted by mother's education level and marital status. Integrating interventions focused on increasing maternal and child health service utilization with basic education for women and support counseling for families may help maximize health seeking behaviors in marginalized communities.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Review
Virology
Sontaga Manyana, Lilishia Gounder, Melendhran Pillay, Justen Manasa, Kogieleum Naidoo, Benjamin Chimukangara
Summary: This review discusses the use of Sanger sequencing and next generation sequencing (NGS) for HIV-1 drug resistance genotyping in resource limited settings, highlighting the limitations of Sanger sequencing in terms of cost and throughput, as well as the advantages of NGS in detecting low-abundance drug-resistant variants and reducing per sample costs.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Wenzhi Tang, Yangchun Qi, Zhonghong Li
Summary: This study developed a portable, low-cost, and user-friendly colorimetric instrument for ELISA and aflatoxin B-1 detection. The instrument demonstrated stability, accuracy, quantitative detection capability, and insensitivity to ambient light changes, making it user-friendly. Measurements showed accurate results comparable to professional equipment, presenting attractive potential for rapid AFB(1) detection.
Article
Microbiology
Marwa M. Hassan, Lucy F. Grist, Aurore C. Poirier, Roberto M. La Ragione
Summary: LAMP is a rapid alternative to PCR, allowing the reaction to occur at a single temperature using a polymerase with high displacement activity. Its advantages include the ability to rapidly detect nucleic acid targets within 30 minutes and its ease of use, making it suitable for various diagnostic settings.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Brian D. Henderson, David J. Kinahan, Jeanne Rio, Rohit Mishra, Damien King, Sarai M. Torres-Delgado, Dario Mager, Jan G. Korvink, Jens Ducree
Summary: The centrifugal microfluidic Lab-on-a-Disc platform combines event-triggered dissolvable film valves with a centrifugo-pneumatic siphon structure to control and time the release and incubations of samples/reagents/wash buffers through changes in disc spin-speed. This platform is suitable for integrating and automating chemiluminescent immunoassay for detection of C-reactive protein marker, with a limit of detection of 44.87 ng mL(-1) and limit of quantitation of 135.87 ng mL(-1).
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jens Ducree
Summary: The paper introduces a novel digital twin strategy for automating bioanalytical testing, with a focus on rotational, centrifugo-pneumatic flow control, optimizing disc layout algorithms and determining performance metrics as goals.
Review
Mechanics
Mahshid Zaresharif, Florent Ravelet, David J. Kinahan, Yan M. C. Delaure
Summary: Passive flow control techniques, including vortex generators, have been used successfully in a wide range of applications to alter boundary layer separation characteristics. These techniques can mitigate cavitation in incompressible flows by delaying and suppressing boundary layer separation. The impact of cavitation on hydraulic machinery performance can be significant and passive controls have shown positive effects on efficiency.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jens Ducree
Summary: Decentralized bioanalytical testing in resource-poor settings is a common application of microfluidic systems. Centrifugal microfluidic technologies have demonstrated the capability of integrated, automated, and parallelized sample preparation and detection. This paper presents a novel technique for onboard storage of liquid reagents, which can be activated by a rotational stimulus of the system-innate spindle motor.
MICROFLUIDICS AND NANOFLUIDICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Rohit Mishra, Rizwan Alam, Darren McAuley, Tirinder Bharaj, Danielle Chung, David J. Kinahan, Charles Nwankire, Karen S. Anderson, Jens Ducree
Summary: The success of bioanalytical technologies deployed in decentralised settings relies on factors such as user-friendliness, ease-of-use, cost per-test (at low sample throughput), and adaptability to a wide range of analytes. The centrifugal microfluidic Lab-on-a-Disc (LoaD) platform, which can meet these criteria, faces challenges in implementing reliable flow routing and valving on a rapidly rotating cartridge. In this study, we demonstrate the automation of a bead-based Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA) using a novel membrane and centrifugal-stratification enabled router architecture. The assay is implemented in an entirely automated fashion using minimal instrumentation, showing the potential for customisation to specific targets.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Josiah Cherian Chekotu, David Kinahan, Russell Goodall, Dermot Brabazon
Summary: This study successfully modeled the mechanical behavior of superelastic NiTi using the Auricchio finite element model and validated it with experimental data. Microscale studies revealed the influence of martensite phase transformation on the material's response. Additionally, the study found that porosity in laser powder bed fusion processes has macroscopic effects on structural stiffness, energy dissipation, and damping properties.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Niamh A. Kilcawley, Toni C. Voebel, Philip L. Early, Niamh A. McArdle, Marine Renou, Jeanne Rio, Godefroi Saint-Martin, Macdara T. Glynn, Daniel Zontar, Christian Brecher, Jens Ducree, David J. Kinahan
Summary: A multi-step assay was automated using Lab-on-a-Disc (LoaD) technology, combining buoyancy pumping and dissolvable film. The technology allows tasks like blood centrifugation to be located in less valuable areas with higher centrifugal forces. A mathematical model and simulation were used to estimate volume errors caused by manufacturing deviations.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Jens Ducree
Summary: Non-genuine medical products, including diagnostic devices, have become a lucrative business for fraudsters, causing significant damage to revenues and reputation of companies, as well as posing a significant risk to the health of people and societies.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS A-PHYSICAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Eadaoin Carthy, Brian Hughes, Eimear Higgins, Phil Early, Cian Merne, Darren Walsh, Anne Parle-McDermott, David J. Kinahan
Summary: The challenge of integrating effective valving mechanisms in the design and manufacture of LoaD devices highlights the need for improved processes. A LoaD device without integrated valving system successfully automated biological workflows and reagent actuation. The optimized LoaD platform demonstrated superior DNA yield at higher cell concentrations.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philip L. Early, Niamh A. Kilcawley, Niamh A. McArdle, Marine Renou, Sinead M. Kearney, Rohit Mishra, Nikolay Dimov, Macdara T. Glynn, Jens Ducree, David J. Kinahan
Summary: Due to the automation capabilities of centrifugal microfluidic systems, they have gained significant interest in industry and academia over the past 25 years. These systems, also known as Lab-on-a-Disc platforms, are primarily used for decentralized bioanalytical point-of-use/point-of-care testing. Flow control plays a crucial role in coordinating multi-step/multi-reagent assay formats on these platforms. Traditional flow control methods, such as capillary burst valves, have been replaced by programmable rotational pulse actuated valves, which use digital pulsing to improve flow control. In this work, High-Low-High (HLH) pulse-actuated valves are introduced for high spin-rate operations, such as blood centrifugation. The combination of HLH valves with Low-High-Low (LHL) valves is used to implement a time-dependent liquid handling protocol for a liver function test panel.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Josiah Cherian Chekotu, Giulia Degli-Alessandrini, Muhammad Zeeshan Mughal, Suman Chatterjee, Russell Goodall, David Kinahan, Dermot Brabazon
Summary: This study investigates the properties of martensitic NiTi samples printed via Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) in different build orientations. The effects of L-PBF process parameters on the densities, compositions, thermal characteristics, and mechanical responses of the samples were analyzed. The results show that the process parameters significantly influence the properties of the samples.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Yao Yao, Meghana Kshirsagar, Gauri Vaidya, Jens Ducree, Conor Ryan
Summary: This article discusses a framework for data sharing and knowledge integration using autonomous agents with blockchain technology to implement Electronic Health Records (EHR). By leveraging blockchain, agent-based modeling, and knowledge graph, it aims to address major concerns in the health industry such as trust, security, and scalability, leading to safer and more informed clinical decision-making system. This approach could pave the way towards personalized healthcare delivery and more engaged patients and citizens.
FRONTIERS IN BLOCKCHAIN
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Jens Ducree, Martin Etzrodt, Soenke Bartling, Ray Walshe, Tomas Harrington, Neslihan Wittek, Sebastian Posth, Kevin Wittek, Andrei Ionita, Wolfgang Prinz, Dimitrios Kogias, Tiago Paixao, Iosif Peterfi, James Lawton
Summary: The study analyzes how blockchain technology can be applied to innovation in traditional organizations of science, research, and technology development, proposing a token-based crypto-economy strategy to find the best consensus, trust, and truth through integrating elements like reputation systems, betting, secondary markets, and social networks. This participatory research model effectively incentivizes contributions from the crowd, such as intellectual property work, validation, assessment, education, governance, and project promotion.
FRONTIERS IN BLOCKCHAIN
(2021)
