The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed the “Swiss Army Knife of Biosensing” TRI Analyzer Technology
Orange County, CA - August 16th 2017 - Common laboratory tests can now be analyzed through a smartphone with ease, this convenience is thanks to researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Traditionally, common tests using blood, urine, and saliva samples from patients are processed through large and expensive medical equipment with results taking days to process. An alternative, costing only $550, the spectral transmission-reflectance-intensity (TRI)-Analyzer attaches easily to a smartphone and examines those same samples with the reliability of a clinical instrument.
Professor Brian Cunningham, the Donald Biggar Willett Professor of Engineering and Director of the Micro and Nanotechnology Lab at the University of Illinois said, "Our TRI Analyzer is like the Swiss Army knife of biosensing. It's capable of performing the three most common types of tests in medical diagnostics, so in practice, thousands of already-developed tests could be adapted to it.”
The research team insists its uses span beyond that of any common smartphone app. "The TRI Analyzer is more of a portable laboratory than a specialized device," said Kenny Long, an MD/PhD student and lead author of the research study. In addition to the aforementioned tests, other diagnostic assessments that are smartphone compatible include an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), responsible for identifying the varieties and measurements of a different antibodies and proteins in blood, frequently used for a range of diagnostic tests.
To analyze these fluids, the TRI Analyzer converts a smartphone camera into a high-performance spectrometer. Specifically, the analyzer illuminates sample fluid with the phone's internal white LED flashlight. The light from the sample is collected in an optical fiber and guided through a diffraction grating into the phone’s rear-facing internal camera. Additionally, the TRI Analyzer can assess multiple samples through its microfluidic cartridge that slides through an opening in the back of the 3D-printed adapter which also contains the optical components. “Our Analyzer can scan many tests in a sequence by swiping the cartridge past the readout head, in a similar manner to the way magnetic strip credit cards are swiped,” said Long.
Professor Cunningham is positive the TRI Analyzer can be further used in applications such as animal health, environmental monitoring, drug testing, manufacturing quality control, and food safety. The affordable cost and mobility of the Analyzer make it an invaluable tool to those who live in underdeveloped countries lacking access to hospitals or clinics. The full report disclosing the results from the TRI Analyzer trials can be found online in a June 2017 journal entry from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
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The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed the “Swiss Army Knife of Biosensing” TRI Analyzer Technology Orange County, CA – August 16th 2017 – Common laboratory tests can now be analyzed through a smartphone with ease, this convenience is thanks to researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Traditionally, common tests using blood, urine, and […]