Brooke Metz

USA TODAY-Unknown

Two Emory University students may have discovered a faster and less expensive way to detect Ebola.

Freshman Rostam Zafari, a creative writing and philosophy major, and freshman Brian Goldstone, a history major, are both pre-med and plan to pursue careers as physicians. They designed Rapid Ebola Detection Strips (REDS), a portable test strip kit, after their biology professor challenged students to devise a way to fight Ebola in exchange for extra quiz points.

“I saw an opportunity,” Goldstone says. “I was excited and grabbed the bull by the horns.”

REDS detect whether or not an individual has Ebola through a quick process similar to that of blood sugar or urinary tract infection test strips. Testers place a blood sample on the strip, and a color change represents whether the individual has contracted the virus.

Zafari estimates the color changing process could take less than an hour, but can’t put an official timestamp on it until the prototype has been developed.

In hospitals, detecting Ebola is not a quick process -- it can take up to five days. Once a blood sample is taken, it must be tested in a lab. Those infected with Ebola carry the virus for up to 21 days before showing symptoms, according to the World Health Organization. Patients are only contagious at that point, but by then they have already come into contact with many people. That’s why Zafari and Goldstone stress REDS’ fast detection process.

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“The sooner we can detect it, the less it spreads, and the more lives we save," Zafari says. “If we can get them before they show symptoms, we can really curb the impact of the virus.”

REDS is also designed to be effective in extreme climates. According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration, heat can negatively impact the accuracy of the strips, so refrigeration is usually necessary to keep them cool. Zafari and Goldstone are working to conquer that so REDS will be more useful in areas where refrigeration is not possible.

“We want to make it as stable as possible for high temperatures and humidity,” Goldstone says.

Health experts at other universities see potential and value in REDS.

“I think this is a fantastic breakthrough if the strips have good sensitivity and specificity,” says Michelle Barry, senior dean associate dean for global health at Stanford University. “Frightening news for a person is to be told they are Ebola positive and then it is a mistake on confirmation. And even more dangerous is if a negative test reassures the patient and they go off and spread disease.”

University of Chicago professor Anup Malani, an economist who specializes in control of infectious disease, also stresses the importance of sensitivity and specificity.

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“As long as there aren’t many false positives, it could reduce panic and spread,” Malani says.

Zafari and Goldstone are also working with Emory biology professor Justine Liepkalns, who helps design protocols for the strips, and Emory MBA candidate Raj Ramakrishnan, who provides business and fundraising advice to Zafari and Goldstone.

The team used Indiegogo, a funding campaign site, to raise $14,000 between Sept. 12 and Oct. 12. The goal has been met and the team will begin developing the prototype in the next couple weeks.

To test REDS, they will obtain a de-active part of the virus, which Goldstone says is not infectious by itself, from a medical company and create an Ebola-inducing climate in a safe, glass-enclosed area. If that works, the team will test REDS on active Ebola-infected blood from a medical company. Which company is yet to be determined, and Liepkalns says the decision will be based on test results.

Once the prototype has been developed and perfected, Zafari and Goldstone plan to take it to a company that could mass-produce REDS and eventually bring it to Africa. Because REDS is designed to be user-friendly and to be widely distributed inexpensively, the strips could be of value to countries that do not have access to Ebola detection equipment.

“Ebola is not just an African problem, but a human problem,” Goldstone says. “It shouldn’t have taken it coming to U.S. to get us into action.”

According to Ramakrishnan, people in those areas are likely to avoid hospitals, so REDS’ ability to test in villages will also aid in the prevention effort by checking those who would not normally go for testing.

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“Early detection is the key to prevention," Ramakrishnan says.

REDS could be licensed for distribution as early as January of next year. Zafari and Goldstone will ensure the prototype is perfected before sending it out to medical companies for mass production.

“Our goal is to get it out as soon as possible, yet still have a safe and effective product,” Goldstone says. “We won’t sacrifice effectiveness for speed.”

Zafari and Goldstone also hope to distribute the strips to airports for passengers arriving from Ebola-stricken nations.

"Imagine being able to test someone for Ebola almost as easily as taking their temperature,” Ramakrishnan says.

The team’s hope for REDS is that it will save as many people as possible.

“The CDC says infections are doubling every 20 days,” Zafari says. “We want to save people as fast as we can.”

They also hope that REDS will spark a desire in other students, researchers and experts to join the fight against Ebola.

“As innovators in the U.S., we need to rise up and come together to work hard on vaccines to stop the spread,” Goldstone says. “We hope others seeing our project will inspire them to do something as well.”

Brooke Metz is a junior at Wake Forest University.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.