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Electricity-free amplification and detection for molecular point-of-care diagnosis of HIV-1.

Authors :
Jered Singleton
Jennifer L Osborn
Lorraine Lillis
Kenneth Hawkins
Dylan Guelig
Will Price
Rachel Johns
Kelly Ebels
David Boyle
Bernhard Weigl
Paul LaBarre
Source :
PLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 11, p e113693 (2014)
Publication Year :
2014
Publisher :
Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2014.

Abstract

In resource-limited settings, the lack of decentralized molecular diagnostic testing and sparse access to centralized medical facilities can present a critical barrier to timely diagnosis, treatment, and subsequent control and elimination of infectious diseases. Isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods, including reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), are well-suited for decentralized point-of-care molecular testing in minimal infrastructure laboratories since they significantly reduce the complexity of equipment and power requirements. Despite reduced complexity, however, there is still a need for a constant heat source to enable isothermal nucleic acid amplification. This requirement poses significant challenges for laboratories in developing countries where electricity is often unreliable or unavailable. To address this need, we previously developed a low-cost, electricity-free heater using an exothermic reaction thermally coupled with a phase change material. This heater achieved acceptable performance, but exhibited considerable variability. Furthermore, as an enabling technology, the heater was an incomplete diagnostic solution. Here we describe a more precise, affordable, and robust heater design with thermal standard deviation

Subjects

Subjects :
Medicine
Science

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
19326203
Volume :
9
Issue :
11
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
PLoS ONE
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.f082070332c2405681cf20f0fc6aec51
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0113693