Scientists have built a prototype of a device that can diagnose the deadly Ebola virus by shining light on viral nanoparticles on silicon.<\/p>\n
Scientists have built a prototype of a device that can diagnose the deadly Ebola virus by shining light on viral nanoparticles on silicon. <\/p>\n
With more than 6500 cases of the Ebola virus in West Africa, 3000 deaths and now one confirmed case in the United States, scientists are trying to find a way to detect the deadly virus more quickly, cheaply and easily. <\/p>\n
And they're increasingly using nanotechnology to do it. <\/p>\n
A team of researchers at Boston University's College of Engineering and its School of Medicine has been working for the past five years to develop a portable device that uses a silicon chip to diagnose a patient with Ebola, or other hemorrhagic fever diseases like the Marburg virus or Lassa Fever. <\/p>\n
What's potentially important about this diagnostic device is that it could easily be used in remote areas with limited electrical and medical resources. <\/p>\n
\"What motivates us is that there are some really good tests to diagnose these diseases but none of these tests are easily transported where they are needed,\" said John H. Connor, an associate professor in BU's Department of Microbiology and a virologist on the research team. \"They have to fly in heavy, electricity-requiring machines that require specialized training and special ingredients to make the diagnostics work properly. They're expensive, time intensive and, most importantly, they're pretty much locked to a clinical lab.\" <\/p>\n
That's a problem for countries like Liberia, which has suffered more than 3,400 cases of Ebola and more than 1,800 deaths in this outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). <\/p>\n
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the Ebola virus, once known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is one of the world's most virulent diseases, with a fatality rate of approximately 90%. Spread by direct contact with the blood, fluids and tissues of infected animals or people, authorities have attempted to contain the outbreak, which began in Guinea and has spread to other countries, including Liberia and Nigeria, which have both declared health emergencies because of it. <\/p>\n
Liberia, for example, simply doesn't have the resources to dot the countryside with well-equipped, high-tech clinics that can run traditional diagnostic machines. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Originally posted here: <\/p>\n
Researchers hope to diagnose deadly Ebola virus with nanotech<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Scientists have built a prototype of a device that can diagnose the deadly Ebola virus by shining light on viral nanoparticles on silicon. Scientists have built a prototype of a device that can diagnose the deadly Ebola virus by shining light on viral nanoparticles on silicon. With more than 6500 cases of the Ebola virus in West Africa, 3000 deaths and now one confirmed case in the United States, scientists are trying to find a way to detect the deadly virus more quickly, cheaply and easily Continue reading