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From the Bench to the Field in Low‐Cost Diagnostics: Two Case Studies
Author(s) -
Kumar Ashok A.,
Hennek Jonathan W.,
Smith Barbara S.,
Kumar Shailendra,
Beattie Patrick,
Jain Sidhartha,
Rolland Jason P.,
Stossel Thomas P.,
ChundaLiyoka Catherine,
Whitesides George M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201411741
Subject(s) - bench to bedside , computer science , point of care testing , process (computing) , systems engineering , rapid prototyping , risk analysis (engineering) , resource (disambiguation) , health care , engineering , medicine , medical physics , mechanical engineering , pathology , computer network , economics , economic growth , operating system
Despite the growth of research in universities on point‐of‐care (POC) diagnostics for global health, most devices never leave the laboratory. The processes that move diagnostic technology from the laboratory to the field—the processes intended to evaluate operation and performance under realistic conditions—are more complicated than they might seem. Two case studies illustrate this process: the development of a paper‐based device to measure liver function, and the development of a device to identify sickle cell disease based on aqueous multiphase systems (AMPS) and differences in the densities of normal and sickled cells. Details of developing these devices provide strategies for forming partnerships, prototyping devices, designing studies, and evaluating POC diagnostics. Technical and procedural lessons drawn from these experiences may be useful to those designing diagnostic tests for developing countries, and more generally, technologies for use in resource‐limited environments.