The Journal of mHealth Vol 1 Issue 6 (Dec 2014) | Page 18

Industry News Continued from page 15 the chemical reactions, amino acids which are the bricks of cell biology, and importantly ribosomes, giant molecular machines that read genetic material and use it to assemble the bricks into functioning proteins. In liquid form, these cell extracts are routinely used in biology labs. Linchong You gives credit to Collins for having the imagination to freeze dry them with synthetic genes. "With hindsight, it's obvious it should work. But most of us don't think in this direction - there was a real leap of faith. But the fact you can leave these freezedried systems for a year, and they'll still work - that's quite remarkable." Alongside the paper-based biochemistry, Jim Collins' team - in collaboration with Peng Yin, also at Harvard University's Wyss Institute - has also introduced a new way of programming RNA, the molecular cousin of DNA which ribosome machines read. Their method makes the gene-circuits far more flexible than previous approaches. The new type of RNA can be programmed to react and respond to any particular biochemical input, and then switch on the rest of the genetic machinery. "This gives us a programmable sensor that can be readily and rapidly designed," Collins explains. The Ebola test they experimented with is a proof of principle showing how flexible the programming step is. "In a period of just 12 hours, two of my team managed to develop 24 sensors that would detect different regions of the Ebola genome, and discriminate between the Sudan and the Zaire strains." ger, variants of the test could be used to reveal antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial infections or biomarkers of other disease conditions. Their Ebola test is not suitable for use in the epidemic areas at the moment, Collins emphasises, but it would be simple to devise one that is. The arrays of programmed paper dots would be easy to mass produce. Lingchong You envisions an "entire fabrication process carried out by computeraided circuit design, robotics-mediated assembly of circuits, and printing onto paper." In contrast, conventional antibody tests take months and cost thousands of pounds to devise, the researchers argue. And price is not the only consideration. Collins points out the freeze-dried circuits are stable at room temperature. In large parts of the world where electricity is unreliable, or there are no refrigerators, this would be a particular advantage. The genetic test kit gives a simple colour output, turning the paper from yellow to purple, with the change visible within half an hour. By changing the input trig- "We are very excited about this," he added. "In terms of significance, I rank this alongside all the other breakthroughs I've been involved in." n MOBILE BASED HEALTHCARE SYSTEM PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS TRULY MOBILE ULTRASOUND IMAGING MAIN FEATURES Pocket-sized – only 390 grams HEALCERION E-MAIL WEB [email protected] www.healcerion.com Fully wireless Seamless image transfer via iOS or Android mobile platforms Easy-to-use touch interface system with mobile application 16 Effective, highresolution imaging to guide provider analysis and diagnosis December 2014 Dimensions (mm) 78(W) x 219(L) x 38(H) Weight (g) Less than 390 with battery