What if I told you there was a way to diagnose Ebola in 15 minutes without the use of lab equipment, cold chain or electricity?
Well, researchers at DPZ, Germany have developed a way to do it.
Meet Diagnostics-in-a-Suitcase, a portable laboratory which contains all reagents and equipment to detect the Ebola virus within 15 minutes at point-of-need.
The new method is six to ten times faster than the current one, equally sensitive and will be tested in Africa soon, according to a press release from the company.
It is operated by an integrated solar panel and a power pack.
Current tests rely on the detection of Ebola genome by the real-time polymerase chain reaction technique which is not exactly suitable for on-site screening, especially in remote areas. The Diagnostics-in-a-Suitcase will bypass this by allowing the detection of the Ebola virus at the point-of-need, not only in rural areas, but also at airports or quarantine stations.
