Smartphones capable of doing AIDS tests? - Capital Business
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Technology

Smartphones capable of doing AIDS tests?

South African and South Korean researchers are working on making a smartphone capable of doing AIDS tests in rural parts of Africa that are the worst hit by the disease, a researcher said Friday.

The team have developed a microscope and an application that can photograph and analyse blood samples in areas far from laboratories to diagnose HIV and even measure the health of immune systems.

“Our idea was to obtain images and analyse images on this smartphone using applications,” said Jung Kyung Kim, a professor in biomedical engineering at Kookmin University in South Korea.

The gadget, called Smartscope, is a small 1-millimeter (0.04-inch) microscope and light which clips over a smartphone’s camera.

A standard chip with a blood sample then slides into the gadget in front of the microscope. Next, a special phone programme photographs the sample and analyses the cells.

The team hopes that trials in clinics may start next year, Kim told AFP.

A different prototype developed in the United States takes tests in the field that need to be sent to a computer for analysis.

But the Smartscope will itself be able to do a CD4 cell count — a measure of white blood cells, which determines when treatment starts.

“Its basic function is to count those CD4 cells for diagnosis,” said Kim.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The new technology is destined for AIDS treatment in remote communities in South Africa and Swaziland, where clinics often don’t have the technology to do these tests effectively.

Almost six million South Africans are infected with HIV, while a quarter of Swazi adults carry the virus.

“In community health mobile technology is not a gimmick. It becomes an essential part of access,” said Professor Jannie Hugo, who heads the family medicine department at the University of Pretoria, the partner in the study.

Advertisement

More on Capital Business

Government

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 6 – Konza Technopolis has received a boost after South Korea agreed to finance three additional projects at the Special Economic...

Tourism

DURBAN, South Africa, Feb 5 – The number of tourists visiting South Africa increased by nearly half last year, boosted by new favorable visa...

Climate

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 25 – International members of the Plastics Pact Network (PPN) met in South Africa this week for the first time to...

Africa

CAPE TOWN, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) — The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) said on Friday that it will continue its fight to prevent...

World

JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) — The South African government will begin the process of adding 2,500 megawatts (MW) to its nuclear capacity, with the...

Technology

CAPE TOWN, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) — The Africa Tech Festival, one of Africa’s largest tech expos, kicked off Monday here in the legislative capital...

Africa

JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) — Following the introduction of tax incentives and financing mechanisms, the installed capacity of rooftop solar systems in South Africa...

World

CAPE TOWN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) — South Africa is going to train and deploy over 2,300 tourism monitors to enhance safety of tourists in...