Proof of Concept for a Portable Platform for Molecular Diagnosis of Tropical Diseases

Although molecular diagnostics is well established in clinical laboratories, its full potential has not been extended to field settings. Typically, diagnostic real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) reagents require temperature-controlled transportation and storage. Furthermore, thermocyclers are bulky and fragile, requiring good infrastructure for optimal operation. These major hurdles strongly limit use of molecular-based tests in low-resource scenarios. Herein, Trypanosoma cruzi or Plasmodium spp. DNA were detected with qPCR using commercial equipment (ABI7500 instrument) and a prototype platform comprising a portable device and a silicon chip, named Q3-Plus.

Source: Journal of Molecular Diagnostics - June 3, 2019 Category: Pathology Authors: Rita C.P. Rampazzo, Ana C. Graziani, Keren K. Leite, Jhully A. Surdi, Cheysa A. Biondo, Maykon L.N. Costa, Thiago Jacomasso, Marco Cereda, Marco De Fazio, Marco A. Bianchessi, Otac ílio C. Moreira, Constança Britto, Joana D.N. Costa, Viviane M. Góes, A Tags: Regular article Source Type: research