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A USB Stick Can Show HIV Test Results In Under 30 Minutes (qz.com)

Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a USB stick that can measure the presence and amount of HIV in a person's blood in under 30 minutes and with 95% accuracy. The USB stick should help make testing easier in places like sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV is a serious problem and where many people live in rural regions hours or days travel away from hospitals or clinics. Also, traditional HIV testing can take days to show results, whereas the USB stick can show results in minutes. Quartz reports: The new diagnostic tool, co-created by the university and biotech company DNA Electronics, requires simply putting a single drop of blood onto a designated spot on the USB stick. The device contains a mechanism that can detect if there's any HIV genetic material -- RNA -- in the drop of blood, and if so, how much. Then, when the stick is connected to a laptop or handheld device, the data are automatically delivered to an app where the patient can quickly read his or her results. One of the most effective HIV treatments currently, called anti-retroviral treatment, reduces virus levels to near zero. However, in some cases, the virus may develop a resistance to medication or therapy, causing the virus to resurface. To catch such developments early, patients can use the devices for monitoring purposes. "The disposable test could be used by HIV patients to monitor their own treatment and help patients in remote regions of the world, where more standard HIV tests are inaccessible," the authors of the study write. For now, it's still in the proof-of-concept stage, and years away from hitting the market.

21 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Under the gop system 30 min to get black listed by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    Under the gop system 30 min to get black listed for life.

    1. Re:Under the gop system 30 min to get black listed by hairyfeet · · Score: 1

      So you are against the free market then? Because from what I can tell the GOP position is that you shouldn't be forced to pay for things you do not support or which is against your religion. After all if this test is as cheap and effective as they say? Plenty of charities supporting that part of the world, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is just one that comes to mind.

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  2. Be careful with that USB stick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    It might have a virus.

  3. DNAe has pedigree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    For edification, DNAe actually has some merit. They're a London based company and developed the technology behind the Ion Torrent DNA sequencer that is sold by Thermo Fisher. The Ion Torrent is a valid machine, although not quite as good as the MiSeq from Illumina. It works by breaking DNA up and the hydrogen ions released create a measurable signal alteration on the silicon FETs; the chemistry invovled is astounding to make it go where you want and sequence stuff.

    https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/brands/ion-torrent.html

    This appears to be a miniaturization of the technology. Viruses, particularly RNA viruses, have a lot fewer genes to work with; HIV only has 9 genes as compared to the human genome which has around 25,000. Since you don't need as much processing power it's conceivable you could miniaturize the Ion Torrent technology for a smaller target like HIV viral RNA.

  4. Re: really an improvement on current technology? by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

    You mean he died with multicolored splotches on him?

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    Ezekiel 23:20
  5. USB's made in China by turkeydance · · Score: 1

    maybe/maybe not.

  6. Re: beta testers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    As a straight male who lives in Austin, I say that's fine with us. As long as bigots like you stay under your rocks we'll be just fine.

  7. Re:I have an even faster and cheaper test by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If your asshole is tight and is only used for poop, then you don't have HIV.

    You dumb fuck.

    http://www.medpagetoday.com/me...

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    You are welcome on my lawn.
  8. prsion is a lifestyle choice but DR covers more t by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    prison is a lifestyle choice but DR covers more then the ER does and they don't ask how are you going to pay for this.

  9. Re:I have an even faster and cheaper test by frovingslosh · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Actually, we have had simple paper test strips for over 15 years in this country, but the gay community has kept them from being widely distributed because they claim to fear discriminatory reprisals if HIV tests were readily available to the public.

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    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
  10. Re:I have an even faster and cheaper test by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Actually, we have had simple paper test strips for over 15 years in this country, but the gay community has kept them from being widely distributed because they claim to fear discriminatory reprisals if HIV tests were readily available to the public.

    How absurd! Rapid HIV tests are widely available at health clinics and STD testing centres across North America. Within 1 minute you get a result that has 99.7% sensitivity and 99.98% specificity. In cases where a positive is detected, it can be followed up with a more accurate lab-based blood test.

    Sexual and gender minorities are great advocates for making HIV testing faster, easier, and more reliable, so please keep your bigoted nonsense to yourself.

  11. Re: beta testers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ^---- And this attitude is why Trump succeeded. Congrats. (If you're not in New York or LA, you an "uneducated white male").

    I've heard the "uneducated white male" meme probably 5000x times on CNN in just two days. Let me give you a clue. 74% of the electorate is white. When you throw racial nonsense around, what do you expect is going to happen in the election?

  12. Here we go again... by Shoten · · Score: 2

    It has "a mechanism" to detect RNA...but only one specific kind of RNA? They didn't come up with a broader approach to detect, say, many kinds of viruses? And it's so commoditizable that it's a USB stick?

    *cough*Theranos*cough*

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  13. Re: Expect the Republicans... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 2

    It's more the AMA than Republicans. They want test to be unreliable and expensive. Last time o had viral pneumonia, I ended up on the hospital and in a medically induced coma before they would help me.

    Yeah, bad stuff like that always seems to happen to ACs. Amazing how much your life gets better when you log in.

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    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  14. 95% accuracy in which direction by phorm · · Score: 1

    95% accurate with the other 5% in favour of false positive (falsely showing you have HIV) would probably be a lot better than mistakenly telling you that you don't have HIV.
    If somebody uses the stick and gets the HIV+ reading, then hopefully he/she will go in for a more accurate test. Getting the all-clear for somebody actually is infected could result in some pretty bad outcomes though.

    1. Re:95% accuracy in which direction by castus · · Score: 1
      Actually the sensitivity of the actual chip thingy is 88.8%, 95% was for the same test done in a lab if I understood it correctly. The specificity was 100%, which means it doesn't give any false positives. The number of controls in the study was pretty low though, so the real specificity might be lower.

      If somebody uses the stick and gets the HIV+ reading, then hopefully he/she will go in for a more accurate test.

      You probably have to take a more accurate test to get a prescription for antiretrovirals. Not sure if the voodoo doctor requires it though

  15. Where is my USB port? by Mostly+a+lurker · · Score: 1

    I like the idea of a USB stick that can reveal my HIV status. However, I have two questions about how this works:

    • Where do I plug the USB stick in?
    • How does the USB stick display the results? Does it have red and green lights that glow appropiately when the analysis is complete?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

  16. need 2 accuracy percentages not one by SkunkPussy · · Score: 1

    need to know both false positive and false negative surely?

    If most people don't have HIV and people without HIV are correctly told that 95% of the time, that means there are shit loads of people being incorrectly told they have HIV

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    SURELY NOT!!!!!
  17. If it's a USB stick... by HalAtWork · · Score: 1

    Then why should the results be read through an app? Once results are found maybe it should produce some commonly readable files as the USB stick is mounted as a drive, allowing you to view say a PDF, TXT, HTML, and PNG of the results, allowing it to be read on any device in whatever format is most convenient. Why tie this to an app that may or may not be updated or even currently supported on the given OS?

  18. that is SO much better than a condom by KingBenny · · Score: 1

    does it come with a needle, some disinfectant and where can i get one ? i need to get laid STAT

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    Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?
  19. Distribute Them Everywhere by JimSadler · · Score: 1

    Got a date? Give the test before you get busy ! Make the device cheap and available everywhere. And we can have easy testing in public schools and in many other places and situations as well. Jails and prisons could use this to be certain that cell mates do not contaminate each other.