How the miniaturization of medical testing is changing healthcare
Orange County, CA - August 24th 2016 - A new test, developed by researchers at Loughborough University and the University of Reading, is able to detect antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The test, termed Lab-on-a-Stick, is capable of identifying bacteria in urine samples and then checking those bacteria for resistance to common antibiotics.Authors wrote, “
This proof-of-concept study should lead to the development of a new generation of advanced yet affordable point-of-care tests for global applications.”
Its size, cost, and speed are just some of the reasons it has developers excited. The stick part of Lab-on-a-Stick is a small microfluidic strip. It requires no power and is made up of tiny test tubes the size of human hair follicles. There are ten test tubes on each strip, allowing for 10 tests to be run simultaneously. It currently works at a rate at least 12 times faster than current tests as well as combines the convenience of a dipstick test with the high efficiency of microfluidic devices.
Three different cellular tests were performed to test the full potential of the Lab-on-a-Stick and its clinical solutions.
The first tested for resistance to antibiotics. This test revealed the capabilities of the Lab-on-a-Stick by showing how 10 different concentrations of antibiotics could be tested at once. The research team behind Lab-on-a-Stick is currently working to further enhance the product by cutting down the incubation period of overnight incubation in a multi-well plate to less than two hours for a single test strip.
Second, bacteria identification tests were administered. Identifying bacteria requires many different tests to be performed on every sample. This is another perk of having 10 different tests per strip of the microcapillary film. It took only four hours to accurately distinguish two similar bacteria, a harmless strain of E. Coli and a type of Salmonella that causes food poisoning.
Lastly they tested ABO blood testing by miniaturizing the 2 minute test and recording the results on a simple digital camera.
Dr. Nuno Reis, co-author of the study, has worked with microcapillary before, publishing similar work in the past. In June of 2014 a team, including Dr. Reis, published an article on their Lab-in-a-Briefcase. The test allowed for portable and quick prostate specific antigen (PSA) measurements using the same melt-extruded fluoropolymer microcapillary film. The test was a success, allowing for 80 measurements in less than 15 minutes without the need of supplementary equipment.
This way of micro engineering tiny test tubes at such a low cost could lead to the development of advanced, yet affordable, routine microbiological and clinical tests that could be taken out of the laboratory setting. Increased production of tests like these could be potentially lifesaving for many who don’t have access to proper healthcare.
