Could be used to diagnose

Mr Spock's 'Tricorder' is fast becoming fact rather than science fiction, and as soon as next year a gadget could allow people to diagnose illnesses in a matter of minutes.

A small hand-held device developed by scientists in Newcastle is designed to analyse DNA in less than 15 minutes with the accuracy of a state-of-the-art laboratory.

The aim is to launch the Q-POC device by the end of 2016, when it could be used to test and treat illnesses from STIs to Ebola, at speed and with great accuracy.

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A small hand-held device developed by scientists in Newcastle can analyse DNA in under 15 minutes with the accuracy of a state-of-the-art laboratory. The aim is to launch the Q-POC device (illustrated) by the end of 2016, when it could be used to test and treat illnesses from STIs to Ebola, at speed and with great accuracy

Jonathan O'Halloran, 39, has been working on the Star Trek-inspired device for eight years with the intention of designing a handheld gadget that can give doctors the power of an expert lab in their hands and potentially even be used by everyday people to understand and treat ailments.

The co-founder of QuantuMDx in Newcastle has likened his invention to a 'Tricorder,' telling Kernel Mag: 'We're trying to get to a point where we can do in-field diagnosis.'

Mr Spock's 'Tricorder' (pictured in a screenshot from Star Trek) is fast becoming fact rather than science fiction, and as soon as next year could allow people to diagnose illnesses in a matter of minutes

The company's wesbite says: 'QuantuMDx is The Future. Our handheld laboratory will deliver complex diagnostics in minutes for a few dollars in any setting across the globe.'

HOW THE SAMPLE-TO-RESULT MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTIC TEST WILL WORK Users insert a sample such as blood into a disease-specific cartridge. They then have to put it into the Q-POC device, likened to a Tricorder. Users have to press the 'Go' button on the touchscreen. Results and drug resistance results will be shown on the device's screen in 10 to 15 minutes. Advertisement

The latest prototype measures nine inches (20cm) long with a screen and space for cartridges to be inserted, which can contain a sample of blood, for example.

The device uses a process called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to multiply the sample, creating enough DNA to carry out genetic testing for certain illnesses.

Each cartridge is pre-loaded with reagents - substances used in chemical analysis - specific to a disease.

An operator would insert different cartridges for different tasks into the device, allowing them to test for multiple diseases in a short period of time.

It shows results on the screen in between 10 and 15 minutes.

O'Halloran told Kernal's Chris Stokel-Walker that tests could diagnose a case of malaria and even recommend which drug to use to treat it.

The prototype measures nine inches (20cm) long with a screen and space for cartridges to be inserted, which can contain a sample of blood, for example. This illustration shows the processes combined by the device

THE RACE IS ON TO CREATE A REAL STAR TREK-STYLE TRICORDER In 2013, a competition was launched to encourage the development of a Tricorder. The Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize hopes to inspire a wireless device capable of detecting a range of diseases, including anaemia, tuberculosis and diabetes. Winners will be announced in 2016 with a top prixe of £4.3 million ($7 million) up for grabs. One of the finalists, the Silicon Valley-based group Scanadu, revealed a handheld scanner at the CES conference in 2013. It contains a variety of different sensors, alongside a microphone on the top of the gadget, that can read five vital signs. These include body temperature, heart rate, oximetry (blood oxygen levels), heart rate variability and pulse wave transit time (PWTT) - the time it takes for a heartbeat to reach somewhere else in a person’s body. PWTT is related to blood pressure. Its makers claim the device is 99 per cent accurate in less than 10 seconds. This information is then stored on a smartphone app that patients can use to monitor their health, or can be shared with doctors . The tricorder uses a micro-USB adapter that can be hooked into a USB port, and it takes less than an hour to charge the battery. Another device by London-based, ScanNurse, uses computer-vision techniques to analyse images taken with a camera. They hope their system will make observations of the inside of the ears or throat, say – in the same way a doctor would – and then feed it into a computer for analysis. Other teams are using blood and urine samples to test for key markers. The tiny microfluidic devices will, they claim, work in a similar way to hospital-lab tests. Advertisement

He also hopes the gadget could help diagnose contagious diseases such as gonorrhoea and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) quickly so patients don't have to return to the doctor's to pick up their results days later and can get the treatment they need faster.

The device could diagnose a resistant strain to prevent the 'super gonorrhoea' outbreak that has recently swept part of the UK, for example,

Such technology may also have helped with the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which claimed the lives of more than 11,314 people.

O'Halloran believes that by cutting the time between in-field diagnosis and treatment – in Ebola's case, the experimental drug ZMapp – could prevent the spread of such deadly and infectious diseases.

The device, which fits into a pocket, is designed for use in remote areas with no need for a stable electricity supply or clean water.

It's hoped it could also one day be used to diagnose and treat tuberculosis, tropical diseases, hospital acquired diseases, emerging infections such as swine flu and early infant diagnosis of HIV.

While the prototype costs around $80 (£52) to make in Singapore, the firm hopes to bring the cost down so it can be made at scale.

The aim is for each compatible cartridge to cost between $5 and $20 (£3 and £13).

O'Halloran said: 'Most people thought—and were really happy to tell me—it was impossible to test a sample in a molecular diagnostic DNA test' which analyses DNA to pinpoint diseases.

'Most people said it was even more impossible to put it into a handheld device,' he added.

He thinks his invention could change the healthcare industry so centralised labs could be replaced by handheld devices and diagnoses could be made in minutes instead of days or weeks.

The firm is also working on a similar device to profile tumours which could be used to diagnose cancers.

O'Halloran told Kernal's Chris Stokel-Walker that tests could diagnose a case of malaria and even recommend which drug to use to treat it. A stock image of a female mosquito is shown above