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Ovarian cancer has a poor cure rate and rates of relapse are high. Current recurrence detection is limited by non-specific methods such as blood testing and ultrasound. Based on reports that human epididymis four (HE4) / creatinine (CRE) ratios found in urine are elevated in ovarian cancers, we have developed a paper-based device that combines lateral flow technology and cell phone analysis to quantitatively measure HE4/CRE. Surrogate samples were used to test the performance over clinically expected HE4/CRE ratios. For HE4/CRE ratios of 2 to 47, the percent error was found to be 16.0% on average whether measured by a flatbed scanner or cell phone. There was not a significant difference between the results from the cell phone or scanner. Based on published studies, error in this method was less than the difference required to detect recurrence. This promising new tool, with further development, could be used at home or in low-resource settings to provide timely detection of ovarian cancer recurrence.

Dipstick urinalysis provides quick and affordable estimations of multiple physiological conditions but requires good technique and training to use accurately. Manual performance of dipstick urinalysis relies on good human color vision, proper lighting control, and error-prone, time-sensitive comparisons to chart colors. By automating the key steps in the dipstick urinalysis test, potential sources of error can be eliminated, allowing self-testing at home. We describe the steps necessary to create a customizable device to perform automated urinalysis testing in any environment. The device is cheap to manufacture and simple to assemble. We describe the key steps involved in customizing it for the dipstick of choice and for customizing a mobile phone app to analyze the results. We demonstrate its use to perform urinalysis and discuss the critical measurements and fabrication steps necessary to ensure robust operation. We then compare the proposed method to the dip-and-wipe method, the gold standard technique for dipstick urinalysis.