Portable Lab Diagnoses Illnesses

A recent EurekAlert! article discussed a new portable device that could revolutionize how we diagnose illnesses and communicate with doctors. A team of engineers at the University of Cincinnati created a portable lab the size of a credit card that can diagnose infectious diseases such as coronavirus, malaria, HIV, and Lyme disease. To use it, a patient inserts a single-use plastic chip into their mouth and then inserts it into a slot in the box to run tests. The device analyzes the saliva and relays the information to the patient’s doctor via a custom app.