Rapid POC Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases

New medical device technology that links biosensors to mobile phone apps could transform the way in which infectious diseases are diagnosed.

The OJ Bio is a hand-held, point of care (POC) diagnosis system that accurately and quickly identifies the presence of a range of disease biomarkers. To use the system, staff must first collect a patient biological sample, such as serum, urine, saliva, or blood, which is then applied to a multichannel biochip placed into a disposable cartridge. The state-of-art biosensors are based on surface acoustic wave (SAW) electronic chips which are coated with disease-specific biocapture surfaces.

When the biosensor is slid into a proprietary specialist reading device, the presence of a specific disease antigen causes a shift in the phase angle of the SAW passing across the chip surface. The presence (or absence) of this shift provides an unequivocal pass-or-fail result for the particular disease being tested. Bluetooth connection of the reading device to special diagnostic software enables the test results to be displayed within seconds on a mobile phone app, a PC, or the device itself.

The platform allows the detection of any protein biomarkers, and can also be used to detect the presence of C-reactive protein (CRP, a biomarker of inflammatory disease), which can be used to rule out serious bacterial infections and which has therefore been proposed as a useful tool in the reduction of the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics. Importantly, the diagnostic device can be used at a patient’s bed side or other POC locations. The OJ Bio system is a product of OJ Bio (Newcastle, United Kingdom).

“Our new device provides a low cost test that dramatically improves the speed of diagnosis and treatment that should hit the disease at source and limit its ability to spread,” said Dale Athey, CEO of OJ Bio. “The flexibility of the technology platform has wide ranging potential, not only for the detection and monitoring of human medical infections and conditions, but also for example in animal testing by veterinary practices.”

Research has so far focused on detection and diagnosis of the influenza A and B viruses, common flu strains previously linked to some major epidemics, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a major cause of coughs and chest infections. In addition, a number of other complementary projects are also underway to detect the presence of, for example, periodontal gum disease and HIV.

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