We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Rapid Molecular Diagnostic Platform Sends Precise COVID-19 RNA Results to Smartphone in Minutes

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 05 Mar 2021

Image: Rapid Molecular Diagnostic Platform Sends Precise COVID-19 RNA Results to Smartphone in Minutes (Photo courtesy of Purdue University/Chris Adam)

Image: Rapid Molecular Diagnostic Platform Sends Precise COVID-19 RNA Results to Smartphone in Minutes (Photo courtesy of Purdue University/Chris Adam)

An all new technology can detect COVID-19 RNA in saliva through newly developed electronic nanosensors, which significantly reduces error rates associated with chemical-based home tests.

IdentifySensors Biologics (Cleveland, OH, USA), a nanosensor technology firm which has developed the rapid diagnostic platform for detecting pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, has now joined the SMART Film Consortium, led by the Birck Nanotechnology Center at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN, USA) that seeks to develop the first foundry dedicated to low-cost non-silicon printed sensors.

Unlike other molecular tests for COVID-19, the rapid molecular diagnostic platform automatically transmits test results to consumer smartphones and to the proper health agencies in minutes. The platform technology can be easily modified to also detect influenza, Zika, dengue, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, Lyme disease, mumps, measles, chickenpox and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and foodborne pathogens.

"By joining the SMART Film Consortium, IdentifySensors Biologics has positioned itself in a significantly strategic vantage point where it is able to tap into a wide array of printing and scalable manufacturing resources in the Birck Nanotechnology Center to greatly accelerate the development of their COVID-19 sensor," said Thomas Sors, assistant director of the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease.

Related Links:
IdentifySensors Biologics
Purdue Research Foundation

Visit expo >

Gold Member

12-Channel ECG

CM1200B

Radiology Monitor
MDNC-6121 Barco Nio Color 5.8MP

Gas Analyzer

GE SAM

POC Respiratory/Sore Throat Test

BIOFIRE SPOTFIRE (R/ST) Panel

Latest COVID-19 News

Channels

Artificial Intelligence

view channel

New Benchmark Highlights Evidence Gaps in AI Responses to Clinical Questions

Many clinical decisions still rely on limited evidence, while most artificial intelligence benchmarks overlook the patient context that shapes real-world care. General large language models can also struggle... Read more

Explainable AI Tool Improves Brain Disorder Screening from 4D fMRI

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) captures changes in brain activity over time, but the resulting image sequences can be difficult to analyze. Screening for brain disorders requires assessing... Read more

AI Improves Non-Contrast CT Interpretation for Time-Sensitive Stroke Assessment

Acute ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked, requiring rapid diagnosis to enable timely reperfusion therapy. Emergency departments often use computed tomography angiography... Read more

AI-Powered ECG Model Gains FDA Authorization for Emergency Cardiac Assessment

Powerful Medical’s PMcardio Queen of Hearts (ACS AI ECG Model) has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) De Novo authorization, announced on September 15, 2026. The model is designed to identify... Read more

Critical Care

view channel

AI Platform Screens for Amyloid Cardiomyopathy Using ECG Images

Amyloid cardiomyopathy is a heart disease caused by deposits of misfolded proteins in the cardiac muscle. It is often missed until patients develop serious complications such as heart failure.... Read more

Noninvasive Contact Lens Sensor Detects Tear Serotonin for Stress Assessment

Stress-related physiological changes can be difficult to monitor objectively over time. Serotonin plays a role in mood regulation and stress physiology and is also present in tears, providing a minimally... Read more

Virtual Reality and Music Aid Early Blood Pressure Control in Hypertensive Urgency

Hypertensive urgency is a common emergency department presentation involving markedly elevated blood pressure without acute organ damage. Patients may also be anxious or frightened, and stress responses... Read more

Early Stem Cell Transplantation May Improve Survival in Rare Inherited Bone Marrow Disorder

Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) is a rare inherited bone marrow disorder that can progress to severe hematologic disease. More than 90% of affected children survive beyond age 20, but fewer than 30% live... Read more

Surgical Techniques

view channel

$Image: In response to growing online misinformation around childbirth, obstetricians at OHSU\'s Center for Women\'s Health have implemented a new intervention to educate and empower patients in labor. (Photo courtesy of OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)$

Labor Induction Guide Improves Patient Satisfaction in Randomized Trial

Labor induction uses medications or other methods to start labor, but patients may encounter information that conflicts with clinical guidance. This misinformation can create confusion and mistrust when... Read more

First Human Implant Performed With New Open Mitral Annuloplasty Ring

In mitral valve repair, clinicians aim to preserve the mitral annulus’s three-dimensional motion while providing enough support for effective remodeling. Ring preferences vary between open and closed ... Read more

Image: MIT researchers have developed a handheld device capable of gently collecting living cells from specific locations to test for ovarian and many other types of cancer. (Photo courtesy of Kripa Varanasi, et al)

Handheld Device Improves Targeted Cell Collection for Early Ovarian Cancer Assessment

High-grade serous ovarian cancer is the most common form of ovarian cancer, and many cases are thought to originate in the fallopian tubes. Because precursor lesions can be microscopic, they are difficult... Read more

Light-Activated Nanoparticles May Offer New Approach to Retinal Prostheses

Retinitis pigmentosa is a degenerative retinal disorder in which photoreceptors progressively die, reducing visual signals to the brain while leaving surviving inner retinal circuits underused.... Read more

Patient Care

view channel

EHR Model Flags High-Risk Periods in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer

Determining when patients with metastatic breast cancer are nearing the end of life remains difficult, often leading to intensive interventions with limited benefit. Prognostic uncertainty can delay goals-of-care... Read more

Virtual Reality Helps Claustrophobic Patients Complete Cardiac PET/CT Scans

Anxiety and claustrophobia—intense fear of confined spaces—often prevent patients from completing cardiac positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). Aborted scans delay diagnosis, consume... Read more

Weighted Blankets Reduce Anxiety in Hospitalized Adults

Anxiety is common among hospitalized adults and can impair recovery, disrupt sleep, and worsen mental health. Although clinicians often use nonpharmacologic strategies, bedside options that act quickly... Read more

Multicenter Study Quantifies Delays in Care for Emergency Department Boarders

Emergency department (ED) boarding—the practice of keeping admitted patients in the ED while awaiting an inpatient bed—creates hazardous delays in definitive care. Prolonged transitions expose older and... Read more

Medical Imaging

view channel

AI Model Uses Pretreatment CT Scans to Predict Immunotherapy-Related Pneumonitis Risk

Pneumonitis is a potentially life-threatening form of lung inflammation that affects about 10% of patients with lung cancer receiving immunotherapy. Because it can be difficult to predict before symptoms... Read more

MRI-Based Test Speeds Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis and Reduces Lumbar Punctures

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition marked by multiple scars in the brain or spine. Diagnosis can be difficult because symptoms vary and the disease can progress at different rates.... Read more

AI Tool Improves Early Detection of Silicosis and Black Lung on X-Rays

Black lung and silicosis are forms of lasting lung damage that can develop after years of inhaling coal or rock dust. More than 2.2 million U.S. workers inhale these particles on the job, and damage may... Read more

Image: In the laboratory, the research team was able to demonstrate measurements with practically no dead time. (Image Credit: University of Stuttgart / Uli Regenscheit)

New MRI Approach Captures Rapidly Decaying Tissue Signals

MRI measures signals generated as excited proton spins return toward equilibrium. However, some tissue signals decay so rapidly that conventional systems can miss them during the brief interval after excitation,... Read more

Health IT

view channel

Adaptive Radiation QA Software Gains Validation for NeoArc Treatments

Adaptive radiation therapy allows clinicians to adjust treatment plans to daily anatomical changes such as tumor shrinkage, weight loss, or organ movement, improving precision while limiting exposure to... Read more

Healthcare Database Helps Close Long COVID Surveillance Gap

Long COVID is a chronic condition that occurs after SARS-CoV-2 infection and lasts at least three months. It can follow severe illness, but it can also affect anyone who has been infected.... Read more

Image: MindMotion Lite delivers the full range of neurotherapeutic activities available on MindMotion GO through a tablet (Photo courtesy of MindMaze Therapeutics)

New Tablet Platform Extends Stroke Neurorehabilitation Beyond the Clinic

Continuity and intensity of neurorehabilitation after stroke are critical for functional recovery, but access to ongoing therapy at home often remains limited. Hospitals and outpatient programs therefore... Read more

Smartphone App Improves Blood Pressure Control in Hypertension

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major modifiable driver of cardiovascular, renal, and cerebrovascular morbidity. Despite effective therapies, many adults fail to achieve control, leading to... Read more

Point of Care

view channel

Continuous Glucose Monitoring Identifies Cardiometabolic Risk in Adults Without Diabetes

Dysglycemia—abnormal blood glucose regulation—can fluctuate throughout the day and often escape conventional screening. Clinicians typically rely on fasting plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c, which offer... Read more

Image: Schematic illustration depicting MOF-encapsulated microneedle biosensing versus conventional blood draw-based diagnosis and monitoring of acute kidney injury. (Yixuan Wang et al., Advanced Materials, 2026. DOI: 10.1002/adma.74423)

Microneedle Patch Enables At-Home Monitoring of Acute Kidney Injury

Kidney disease is often silent in its early stages, making timely detection difficult outside clinical settings. Early biomarkers such as neutrophil gelatinase–associated lipocalin can require blood draws... Read more

Image: A phase object modeled as a thin, pure phase transmission mask is illuminated with horizontally polarized light at two different wavelengths (Haiwei Wang et al., Nanophotonics (2026). DOI: 10.1002/nap2.70190)

Ultrathin Metasurface Could Bring Quantitative Phase Imaging to Portable Devices

Point-of-care imaging often depends on bulky optical systems that have difficulty visualizing nearly transparent cells and tissues without staining. These limitations can slow diagnosis and restrict use... Read more

Rapid Onsite Testing Reduces Emergency Department Transfers in Long-Term Care

Respiratory infections in long-term care residents frequently trigger emergency department transfers that strain hospital capacity and expose frail patients to additional risks. Turnaround delays from... Read more

Business

view channel

Medtronic Receives FDA Clearance for Vessel-Sealing Instrument for Robotic Surgery

As robotic-assisted surgery expands across U.S. hospitals, teams increasingly seek energy instruments with the familiarity and performance of tools used in open and laparoscopic procedures.... Read more

Image: The da Vinci SP system enables single-incision or natural-orifice procedures, enhancing visualization and precision in narrow or deep anatomical spaces (Photo courtesy of Intuitive)

Robotic Single-Port System Gains CE Mark for Transvaginal Gynecologic Procedures

Intuitive (Sunnyvale, CA, USA) announced that it has received CE mark approval for use of the da Vinci SP Single Port surgical system in transvaginal gynecologic procedures, marking the first such indication... Read more

Smartphone-Integrated Epinephrine Auto-Injector Concept Wins Red Dot Design Award

Severe allergic reactions can escalate rapidly and require prompt epinephrine, yet many at-risk patients do not consistently carry their auto-injector. With food allergies affecting an estimated 220 million... Read more

First U.S. Commercial Cases Demonstrate New Approach to Transseptal Access

Transseptal access to the left atrium is critical in catheter-based cardiac procedures, where direct visualization and precise positioning are essential. Clinicians also aim to reduce fluoroscopy use and... Read more