We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




Portable Device Rapidly Detects Measles and Rubella

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 11 Jun 2018
Serosurveys are useful for assessing population susceptibility to vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. More...
Many point-of-care diagnostics rely on lateral flow assays or microfluidics; however, these methods generally cannot test multiple samples simultaneously.

A potential solution is a compact and portable, field-deployable, point-of-care system relying on digital microfluidics that can rapidly test a small volume of capillary blood for disease-specific antibodies. A portable device has been developed that detects measles and rubella antibodies in about 35 minutes, and it has potential applications in both remote and conventional laboratory settings.

Scientists at the University of Toronto (Toronto, ON, Canada) and the international colleagues collected blood samples from 144 children age nine months to 59 months and caregivers in a refugee camp in Kenya to test a new device in the field. The device called the Measles-Rubella Box (MRBox) is a bead-based chemiluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that uses microscopic magnetic beads that have the measles or rubella virus attached to them.

The immunoglobulin G (IgG) assays were determined to have sensitivities of 86% [95% confidence interval (CI), 79 to 91% (measles)] and 81% [95% CI, 73 to 88% (rubella)] and specificities of 80% [95% CI, 49 to 94% (measles)] and 91% [95% CI, 76 to 97% (rubella)] (measles, n = 140; rubella, n = 135). The assays were compared with reference tests, measles IgG and rubella IgG ELISAs from Siemens Enzygnost conducted in a centralized laboratory. The MRBox could test simultaneously four samples, although digital microfluidic (DMF) IgG detection was less sensitive and specific than laboratory-based ELISA testing of matched serum samples.

Darius G. Rackus, PhD, a senior author of the study, said, “We demonstrated this technology for its use in remote settings, where sending tests to a centralized laboratory is not an option. However, we think this technology could also be useful for traditional laboratories or even in a distributed (versus centralized) testing model.” The study was originally published on April 28, 2018, in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Related Links:
University of Toronto


New
Gold Member
Quality Control Material
iPLEX Pro Exome QC Panel
3-Part Differential Hematology Analyzer
Swelab Alfa Plus Sampler
New
Autoimmune Disease Diagnostic
Chorus ds-DNA-G
New
DNA/RNA Extraction/Purification Kit
Nucleic Acid Extraction or Purification Kit
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Pathology

view channel
These images illustrate how precision oncology Organ Chips recapitulate individual patients’ responses to chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Wyss Institute at Harvard University)

Cancer Chip Accurately Predicts Patient-Specific Chemotherapy Response

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), one of the two primary types of esophageal cancer, ranks as the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and currently lacks effective targeted therapies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.