Tropical medicine could greatly benefit from the use of modern mobile technologies, as attested by the CellScope Loa, an iPhone-based setup that allows for the rapid detection of blood-borne parasites.

Typically, testing a blood sample for the presence of the parasitic worm Loa loa requires lab equipment and over a day to complete. With CellScope Loa, the basic test is conducted within minutes, saving both time and money along the way. And more importantly – lives of the people affected by the parasite.

CellScope Loa’s initial field test on 33 potentially Loa loa-infected subjects in Cameroon have shown results that are comparable to professional-grade equipment.The setup involves Apple’s handset plugged into a 3D-printed microscope base where a blood sample should be placed for analysis. It is the product of collaboration between scientists at the University of California-Berkeley, and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The CellScope Loa works by capturing video of a blood sample and looking for the characteristic “wriggling” motion of Loa loa microfilaria. This technique simplifies things dramatically, as the blood doesn’t require any special preparation before being tested, and a companion iPhone app reduces the rate of human error by automating the entire process.

Once the health care worker activates the scan, their iPhone controls gears inside the base of the scope, moving the sample in front of the camera. An algorithm then analyzes the footage and provides a worm count. All within the space of a couple of minutes.

CellScope Loa’s initial field test on 33 potentially Loa loa-infected subjects in Cameroon have shown results that are comparable to professional-grade equipment. Going forward, researchers hope to expand the study to about 40,000 people in the country.

Loa loa lead to two other parasitic diseases: river blindness and elephantiasis. Though drug treatment programs were initiated to help treat those infections in Central Africa — where they are most prevalent — those programs were halted because Loa loa infection led to serious side effects. People infected with Loa loa and receiving drugs for river blindness and elephantiasis suffered brain damage, and some died. Being able to quickly and reliably test for Loa loa may be key in resuming the treatment programs to help fight other parasitic diseases.

[Via: TheVerge]