NYU Abu Dhabi researchers develop paper-based diagnostic tool for infectious disease detection
A team of scientists at NYU Abu Dhabi has developed a breakthrough paper-based diagnostic device that can detect COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in under 10 minutes, without the need for sophisticated lab equipment or trained personnel.
The Radially Compartmentalized Paper Chip (RCP-Chip), engineered by researchers at the Advanced Microfluidics and Microdevices Laboratory (AMMLab), offers a fast, affordable, and portable solution for on-site screening of infectious diseases.
The RCP-Chip has been developed to detect even minute traces of viral genetic material using a droplet of fluid and a visible color change.
It operates without electricity or special equipment, needing just a source of mild heat at around 65°C, similar to the temperature of warm water.
The research is detailed in a paper titled Single-Layer Radially Compartmentalized Paper Chip (RCP-Chip) for Rapid Isothermal Multiplex Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Gene Targets, published in the journal Advanced Sensor Research. The study reports the development and validation of the RCP-Chip as a rapid, multiplexed diagnostic platform for infectious disease detection suitable for low-resource settings.
NYUAD Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering and senior author Mohammad A. Qasaimeh said, 'The RCP-Chip is designed for real-world impact. It can be reconfigured to detect other infectious diseases, making it a powerful tool for global health.'
'This is a fast, affordable, lab-free test that detects multiple gene targets in under 10 minutes,' said NYUAD Research Assistant and co-first author of the study Pavithra Sukumar. 'What makes it truly impactful is its real-world potential. This portable test could significantly improve outbreak response by enabling faster isolation, treatment, and control.'
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
Gaza faces a man-made drought as water systems collapse, UNICEF says
Gaza is facing a man-made drought as its water systems collapse, the United Nations' children agency said on Friday. "Children will begin to die of thirst ... Just 40% of drinking water production facilities remain functional," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva. "We are way below emergency standards in terms of drinking water for people in Gaza," he added. UNICEF also reported a 50% increase in children aged six months to 5 years admitted for treatment of malnutrition from April to May in Gaza, and half a million people going hungry. It said the U.S.-backed aid distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was "making a desperate situation worse." On Friday at least 25 people awaiting aid trucks or seeking aid were killed by Israeli fire south of Netzarim in central Gaza Strip, according to local health authorities. On Thursday at least 51 people were killed by Israeli gunfire and military strikes, including 12 people who tried to approach a site operated by the GHF in the central Gaza Strip. Elder, who was recently in Gaza, said he had many testimonials of women and children injured while trying to receive food aid, including a young boy who was wounded by a tank shell and later died of his injuries. He said a lack of public clarity on when the sites, some of which are in combat zones, were open was causing mass casualty events. "There have been instances where information (was) shared that a site is open, but then it's communicated on social media that they're closed, but that information was shared when Gaza's internet was down and people had no access to it," he said. On Wednesday, the GHF said in a statement it had distributed three million meals across three of its aid sites without an incident. On Friday at least 12 people were killed in an airstrike on a house belonging to the Ayyash family in Deir Al-Balah, taking the day's death toll to 37.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
'Lame and lethal' aid system claims dozen more lives in Gaza
At least 70 people were killed by Israeli gunfire and military strikes in Gaza on Thursday, the enclave's civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said. Medics earlier reported that 12 people had been killed while trying to approach an aid site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the central Gaza Strip. The system has been described by a top UN official as 'lame, medieval and lethal' following hundreds of deaths in similar incidents over the past few weeks. Dozens of Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli air strikes in the northern Gaza Strip, medics added. One of those strikes killed at least 12 people, including women and children, near a mosque in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza city, they added. Another eight civilians were killed in Israeli shelling of Gaza city on Thursday, Wafa news agency said. Five of those were killed in an attack on a house in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, and three others when an apartment in the west of the city was hit. Israeli forces also blew up homes east of Jabalia Al Balad in northern Gaza, the agency reported. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on Thursday's incidents. In recent days it said it was reviewing reports of civilian casualties. About 100 other people were injured when Israeli drones and military vehicles opened fire in the morning near an aid distribution point in central Gaza, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. At least 338 people have been killed in total while gathering to collect aid from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to a tally released by local health authorities on Monday. The recently created US and Israel-backed agency, whose four distribution centres are guarded by private security contractors and surrounded by Israeli forces, began operations in late May to supersede the aid delivery system operated by the UN. Israel said the move prevents the militant group Hamas from taking aid intended for civilians. The centres are regularly overrun by Gazans desperate for food after a nearly three-month total blockade of aid deliveries imposed by Israel in March. Crowds start gathering near the distribution sites before dawn, despite a warning from the Israeli military that these areas are considered combat zones between 6pm and 6am. "Palestinian lives have been so devalued. It is now the routine to shoot and kill desperate and starving people while they try to collect little food from a company made of mercenaries," Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said in a post on X after at least 14 people were killed while waiting for aid on Wednesday. He described GHF as "a lame, medieval and lethal system that is deliberately harming people under the camouflage of 'humanitarian aid'". Dozens killed waiting for aid in Khan Younis "Hundreds of people have been reported killed since the 'Gaza Humiliation Foundation' started operating just over three weeks ago," he said, describing the group's operations as "a lame, medieval and lethal system that is deliberately harming people under the camouflage of 'humanitarian aid'". He called for those responsible for establishing the new system to be held accountable, saying: "Inviting starving people to their death is a war crime." The Palestinian death toll from Israel's war in Gaza passed 55,700 the health ministry said on Thursday and the number injured rose to more than 130,100. The ministry's figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians, although it says the majority of victims have been women and children. The war began on October 7, 2023, with a Hamas attack on southern Israel in which about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and about 250 taken hostage.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Abu Dhabi restaurant closed over food safety violations
An Abu Dhabi restaurant has been shut down after a food safety inspection. The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (Adafsa) announced on Friday that Al Rabia Restaurant, in Gayathi – Al Dhafra Region – has been administratively closed due to food safety violations. A post on X states that practices in the restaurant pose a 'serious risk to public health'. It follows the closing down of five restaurants and one supermarket in the emirate last month. Lahore Garden Grill Restaurant & Cafeteria in Al Khalidiya; Karak Future Cafeteria in Abu Dhabi Island; and Al Maqam Corner Restaurant, Pak Ravi Restaurant (branch 1) and Salty Desi Darbar Restaurant, all in Musaffah Industrial Area, were closed, as was the Rich & Fresh Supermarket in Mohammed Bin Zayed City. All food outlets undergo regular inspections to ensure high food safety standards, Adafsa said. The authority also urged the public to report any violations, including suspected food contamination or non-compliance, by calling the Abu Dhabi Government's freephone number on 800 555. Driving up standards The authority carries out tens of thousands of inspections each year in an effort to protect the health of the public and take enforcement action against restaurants that break the rules. The National spent a day with food inspectors last year to take a closer look at how they work to raise food health standards. The authority said outlets with confirmed cases of food poisoning are shut with immediate effect and cannot reopen until they pass an inspection. Establishments where customers previously suffered food poisoning and outlets that had complaints made against them through official channels are most likely to be under enhanced scrutiny, as is any business that was given a low grade in previous inspections. Assessments are conducted at restaurants, cafes, cloud kitchens and schools, as well as businesses that recently received a licence to operate. Inspections happen without notice and can vary in frequency. Watch: A day with Abu Dhabi's food inspectors
