MELISA device can use smart phones for biomedical testing

According to New Atlas, a foreign media report, in order to perform blood or urine analysis, samples obtained from patients usually need to be sent to laboratories. However, due to new equipment being developed by the University of South Florida, it may be possible to do this in a doctor’s office soon. Analysis. Currently, if doctors want to test antibodies or antigens in blood or urine samples, they need to use a technique called an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). It requires expensive and bulky laboratory equipment. These devices must Operated by trained technicians.

This is why the University of South Florida research team decided to invent a mobile enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MELISA) device. MELISA was developed by a team led by Dr. Anna Pyayt. The 0.5-kg unit uses an integrated water bath heater to analyze the sample at the target temperature. Then use an ordinary smartphone to take a sample photo and analyze its RGB (red, green, blue) color components with the companion application. Based on this color analysis, it can be determined whether a given compound exists and at what concentration.

MELISA is currently being used to measure progesterone levels in blood samples, although scientists are now calibrating them to perform other tests on other fluids. They plan to seek FDA approval so that the device can be widely used.

Pyayt said: 'It aims to make biomedical testing simple and affordable. When low-cost testing can be combined with routine clinics, this will greatly improve the quality of medical care.'

Previously, researchers at Columbia University developed a smartphone-based ELISA device for the detection of HIV and syphilitic markers in finger blood.