10 November 2010

Mobile STD Diagnostics ~ Rapid, Fast Tests...

John Sutter writes in CNN that Mobile phones may diagnose STDs...
"The "eSTI2" project, managed by Tariq Sadiq from St George's University of London, England, recently received a $6.5 million grant to develop small chips that can be used to used to test saliva, urine or blood for sexually transmitted diseases. The chips -- which, yes, you would need to pee on in some cases -- would connect to mobile phones for processing. It's possible that a smartphone app would be able to tell a person if they'd tested positive or negative for a particular STD in 5 to 15 minutes, Sadiq said. "It's bringing the diagnostics to the population rather than having the population come into clinics," he said. [...] the stigma associated with testing -- as well as the inconvenience of waiting for an appointment at a clinic -- dissuades many people from getting tested. The eSTI2 project hopes to break down those barriers."

No comments: