Technology for detecting HIV by telephone

A newly invented technology device that can detect early infectious diseases such as HIV or syphilis.

A team from Columbia is developing low-cost technology that can be plugged directly into cell phones, which can generate blood tests quickly.

This compact device can test results from blood tests and give diagnoses of infectious diseases such as syphilis or HIV. All the energy needed to perform will be taken from the battery of the mobile phone.

In particular, enzyme-linked tests (ELIZA) occur when the device is active. It then detects HIV antibodies or syphilis antibodies. The process takes only 15 minutes.

The price of a device using the new test technology is about $ 34, but its effectiveness equates to the fact that you go to the lab, doing a series of tests costing thousands of dollars. Samuel K. Sia, who led the team, said the device was like a telephone accessory and "qualified for a top-notch lab."

Because of its extremely compact size and the ability to operate in many parts of the world, this device offers new hope for patients in areas as far away as Africa or Asia, which lack both as well as medical technology.