HIV and hepatitis C are among the leading causes of worldwide death. According to amfAR, an organization dedicated to eradicating the spread of HIV/AIDS through innovative research, nearly 37 million people are currently living with HIV. Of those 37 million, one third become co-infected with hepatitis C.
The threat of HIV and hepatitis C
The regions hit the hardest by this co-infection tend to be developing parts of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Central and East Asia.
While these developing regions have measures to diagnosis HIV and hepatitis C, the rapid point-of-care tests used are typically unaffordable or unreliable.
An electrochemical solution
A group from McGill University is looking to change that with a recently developed, paper-based electrochemical platform with multiplexing and telemedicine capabilities that may enable low-cost, point-of-care diagnosis for HIV and hepatitis C co-infections within serum samples.
(MORE: Find other places where electrochemistry and medicine intersect.)
“Our experimental setup consists of a paper device with eight electrochemical biosensors—for handy, one-time, disposable use—and a custom-made, handheld electrochemical reader, or potentiostat, to keep costs as low as possible,” said Xinyu Liu, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University. “It enables eight [simultaneous tests], four for HIV antibodies, and four for HCV antibodies.”
Simple, affordable, reliable
This from American Physics Institute:
To run a test, the paper device is simply inserted into a slot on the potentiostat, and microliter drops of serum sample and reagents are added to each biosensor. Pressing a button triggers the electrochemical measurements.
The device can be integrated into existing internet-based and mobile network-based health system, transmitting the results directly to a smartphone or computer, then to a remote cite in a lab or hospital via mobile network.
“We’ll explore the stability of the paper device during long-term storage, and then begin real patient sample testing in Canada and Kenya,” Liu said. “Our long-term goal is to further extend the functionality of this diagnostic platform by targeting other molecular disease markers.”
