Meet The New Paper-Based Ebola Test

While ebola fears continue to escalate, be it for rational or irrational reasons, the need for detection and the prevention of any major outbreak continues to be a high priority. The elevated threat level has lead to an innovative new genetic test that can detect the presence of ebola, among other viruses, all with the simple use of a diagnostic paper strip.

James Collins, a synthetic biologist at Boston University, recently revealed details to MIT news about a diagnostic process he developed from printing ingredients for simple DNA experiments on a strip of paper. This simple paper strip will change color when matched with a specific strand of DNA or RNA.

Collins demonstrated that the system could detect the ebola virus, whose genetic code consists of a specific strand of RNA. When his team of scientists added strands of ebola RNA to paper test strips, the genetic materials completed a "circuit" enabling production of a protein that stains the paper, causing it to turn dark purple in about an hour's time.

Since ebola touched down in the U.S. in late September, research into ebola-fighting technologies immediately became a major focus for the World Health Organization. While the focus has mostly been on the treatment of the virus, early detection of this potentially deadly disease is a vital step in isolating the virus and preventing any potential outbreaks.

Although the idea of paper-based diagnostics isn't necessarily revolutionary, Collins believes his work now extends the idea beyond traditional chemistry, and into precisely engineered genetic reactions. The paper strips can even be freeze dried and stored for up to a year while maintaining accurate diagnostic capabilities.

"I think it's very cool," said Lingchong You, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University. "Conceptually, it's extremely simple."

Despite the simplicity of the tests, using them still requires some lab expertise. Lab techs will need to isolate the genetic material from a virus or bacterium, but Collins says the paper test strips themselves can be very inexpensive. He estimates that each test strip could cost anywhere between 4 and 65 cents depending on which test is needed. Collins even believes that each test can be designed and produced in a day or so, allowing for cheap and fast production.

While the test strip is still being researched and refined, Collins and his team of colleagues from Harvard believe that it could lead to simple bandages that change color when an infection is developing, as well as possible environmental sensors worn on clothing.

"It's a pragmatic, very big-deal improvement," said Julius Lucks, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Cornell University. "Now we can ask 'what do we want to do [with it]?'"

As the ebola concern steadily rises in the U.S., the need for cheap, effective diagnostic tests will become more and more crucial. While Collins' new test may still require a bit more refinement, it could become such a deterrent.

Kristopher Sturgis is a contributor to Qmed and MPMN.

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