At McMaster University, Canada, students have created a hand-held test for bacterial infections which gives results in less than an hour. That must be completely unheard of!

It is currently just being used for bacterial infections but, the team at McMaster plans to use this technology to test for viral and bacterial infections and diseases as well as cancer and even things like COVID-19! How cool is that?

How does this work?

It works through a DNA-based technology that uses something like that of a blood glucose monitor. And a microchip analyzes a droplet of bodily fluid. It is done through the molecules that can detect the presence of specific proteins from an infection. Then it is plugged into a smartphone and ta-da! You get your results all within an hour. It eliminates the middle man (laboratory scientists)

How will this affect patients in the future?

Now not only will this allow patients to get results for tests faster than ever before, but it will also allow them to have a less critical time while they're sick. That is because this technology will stop infections from spreading throughout one's body. Resulting in further complications no longer become a problem. It is also likely to result in a shorter recovery time, which will give an overall better quality of life.

What are the researchers saying?

The lead author of the research paper says, "this technology is a step towards democratizing disease and diagnosis management." It has the potential to be able to diagnose disease no matter where you are. Imagine the future we could have in healthcare in a couple of years.

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