Mobile Application for Paper-Based Analytical Devices

Testing for antibodies is necessary for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. In less privileged locations, however, the ability to test for important antibodies is stifled by financial limitations. Conventional methods, such as mass spectrometry, are expensive to run, require trained operators, and demand expensive and bulky instruments. The Citterio lab is working on paper-based analytical devices using bioluminescence that address the hurdles of traditional analysis, both paper-based and conventional. The Citterio lab devices have been successfully tested with HIV, influenza, and dengue antibodies.

Current analysis requires a picture to be taken on a camera and transferred to a computer for processing. Moving files between devices and software programs is inconvenient and the workflow could be streamlined. In light of these restrictions, smartphones offer an effective and simple alternative. My project is to create a mobile application to quantify bioluminescence from paper-based analytical devices. I will be targeting regular users instead of hospitals. Ideally, this technology will be usable by non-medical personnel and home users to monitor various biometric parameters. As such, user-friendliness is of highest priority.

A fully-functioning smartphone application is expected to be developed.

Faculty Supervisor:

Robert Cumming

Student:

Partner:

Keio University

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Education

University:

Western University