NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Cheap, simple diagnostic kits have the potential to revolutionize health care in the developing world. If we can put non-technical tests in the hands of normal people, we can test for diseases more efficiently without building out formal clinic networks. That should help get treatments to people in a more timely way.

One promising technology: paper and plastic strips that allow ordinary citizens to test for bacteria and viruses like HIV without the need for specialist assistance. Developed atFlorida Atlantic University, Stanford University, and Harvard University, the strips are printed with bio-reactive chemicals along with electrical and optical sensors.

“If you are in a resource-constrained setting in Africa, they cannot afford the expensive health care infrastructure,” says Waseem Asghar, an assistant professor at FAU and one of the researchers behind the project. “You can do the test right way and then, to dispose of it, you can burn substrate without worrying.”