A New Test Can ID Three Deadly Viruses in a Single Reading

An efficient and affordable paper-based test could help prevent the spread of deadly viruses in remote areas around the world by detecting Ebola, dengue, and yellow fever in a single reading.

The paper-based test, which is similar to an over-the-counter pregnancy test, was developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School, who released their findings last month at a conference of the American Chemical Society. Current testing methods for identifying viruses require a sophisticated laboratory environment to examine DNA samples in blood and can take several hours; the new test kit is an easy-to-use alternative for some of the most remote locations.

"These are not meant to replace [standard lab tests] because we can't match their accuracy,” MIT researcher Kimberly Hamad-Schifferli explained in a statement from the American Chemical Society. “But this is a complementary technique for places with no running water or electricity.”

Once a blood sample makes contact with the test pad on the device, the paper changes color within minutes to identify the virus. While follow-up lab tests are required to confirm the accuracy of the results, researchers say the paper test would allow health workers to quickly identify those affected and place them in quarantine if necessary, helping to prevent the spread of infection. Quickly reporting cases, identifying whom the infected patient might have come in contact with, and monitoring certain burial practices are vital to limiting the spread of a virus.

The kits would also allow health workers to map viruses by uploading photos of test results.

“Because of the GPS and time and day stamp associated with the photo, this map would show where the disease is spreading, or where it is dying out,” Hamad-Schifferli said, making it easier for health workers to identify and confirm outbreaks in remote areas where access to hospitals and labs is limited.

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The test kits, which will cost about $5, have yet to be used on patients, as MIT is still waiting for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A few other roadblocks need to be addressed as well, including how to properly dispose of kits, as used ones must be treated as “hazardous material,” according to Hamad-Schifferli. The researchers have created only a limited supply of the kits, using 3-D printers, so a more large-scale production method would need to be established.

However, researchers say they hope the test kits will be widely available within the year and are also planning to produce them for free distribution.

“We’re giving people the components so they can build the devices themselves,” Hamad-Schifferli said. “We are trying to move this into the field and put it in the hands of the people who need it."