Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Ebola test results now in 15 minutes!

Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Nov, 2014 12:46 PM
    A 15-minute blood and saliva test for Ebola is to be tried in Guinea.
     
    The project, led by the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal, uses a "mobile suitcase laboratory", BBC reported.
     
    It is portable, solar-powered and can be used at room temperature.
     
    The project is being funded by the Wellcome Trust medical charity and the Britain's Department for International Development.
     
    "A reliable, 15-minute test that can confirm cases of Ebola would be a key tool for effective management of the Ebola outbreak - allowing patients to be identified, isolated and cared for as soon as possible," an official from Wellcome Trust said. 
     
    "It not only gives patients a better chance of survival, but it prevents transmission of the virus to other people."
     
    "This pilot study is particularly promising because researchers have considered how to make the test suitable for use in remote field hospitals, where resources -- such as electricity and cold storage are often in short supply," the official added.
     
    Ebola is currently diagnosed by hunting for the virus's genetic material in the blood of a patient.
     
    But it requires dedicated laboratories that can keep the components of the test at very low temperatures.
     
    Patients in Conakry will still have the proven test, but the new faster method will be trialed at the same time so the results can be compared.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Over 400 cancer-causing 'hidden' faults detected in DNA

    Over 400 cancer-causing 'hidden' faults detected in DNA
    British scientists have discovered more than 400 "blind spots" in DNA which could hide cancer-causing gene faults....

    Over 400 cancer-causing 'hidden' faults detected in DNA

    Estrogen protects some women against heart disease

    Estrogen protects some women against heart disease
    Estrogens, also referred to as female sex hormones, have been thought to protect women from heart diseases and researchers have now found how they do so....

    Estrogen protects some women against heart disease

    How liver can improve diabetes management

    How liver can improve diabetes management
    Finding a way to stimulate glucose accumulation in the liver could help manage diabetes and obesity, shows a new research, paving the way for new...

    How liver can improve diabetes management

    Walnuts can slow down prostate cancer growth

    Walnuts can slow down prostate cancer growth
    “While they (walnuts) are high in fat, their fat does not drive prostate cancer growth. In fact, walnuts do just the opposite when fed to mice,” lead scientist and....

    Walnuts can slow down prostate cancer growth

    Tiny needles hold promise for two key eye diseases

    Tiny needles hold promise for two key eye diseases
    Needles too tiny to be seen with naked eyes can soon deliver drugs to specific areas relevant to two of the world's leading eye diseases - glaucoma and corneal....

    Tiny needles hold promise for two key eye diseases

    New Alzheimer's-related memory disorder found

    New Alzheimer's-related memory disorder found
    Alzheimer's disease now has a new cousin as an international team of researchers has determined criteria for a new neurological disorder called....

    New Alzheimer's-related memory disorder found