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

Neonatal Heel Incision Device

Tenderfoot

Gold Member

12-Channel ECG

CM1200B

Radiofrequency Generator

GX1

Hypodermic Syringe

SurTract™ Safety Syringe

Latest COVID-19 News

Channels

Artificial Intelligence

view channel

AI Platform Supports Noninvasive Remote Hemodynamic Monitoring in Heart Failure

Heart failure remains a leading cause of hospitalization in adults over 65, affecting more than 6.7 million people in the U.S. Clinicians often lose visibility into hemodynamic deterioration once patients... Read more

AI Tool Predicts Unplanned Care and Symptom Burden in Cancer Survivors

Unplanned emergency visits and hospitalizations remain common in cancer survivorship, when routine clinical contact often tapers while new symptoms emerge. These events reflect unmet needs and disrupt... Read more

Automated Phone Speech Test Identifies Alzheimer’s Pathology for Prescreening

Alzheimer’s disease assessment and trial recruitment often rely on costly, invasive biomarker testing and clinic-based cognitive evaluations, limiting scalability as populations age. Providers and trial... Read more

Image: Johns Hopkins computer scientist Suchi Saria began translating her lab’s research into a real-world system after losing her nephew to sepsis in 2017 (Photo courtesy of Will Kirk/Johns Hopkins University)

FDA-Cleared AI System Detects Sepsis Earlier and Reduces Mortality

Sepsis remains one of the deadliest complications for hospitalized patients, in part because its early signs overlap with other conditions. Each hour of delayed recognition measurably decreases survival,... Read more

Critical Care

view channel

Regenerative Therapies Aim to Support Recovery After Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is brain damage caused by an external force that impairs function and can trigger delayed inflammatory and vascular cascades. It is a leading cause of disability and death... Read more

Noninvasive AI Tool Enables Pressure-Guided Heart Failure Management

Heart failure often progresses to acute decompensation as fluid builds up, leading to hospitalizations and frequent readmissions. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) is a key hemodynamic marker that... Read more

Ring-Type Cuffless Monitor Becomes First Added to Official Hypertension Guidelines

Detecting nocturnal and morning hypertension often requires out-of-office assessment, but conventional cuff-type monitors can disrupt sleep. New national guidance in South Korea expands 24-hour monitoring... Read more

image: Principles of SMEAR-ULM. (Lai, Y., Argüello, A.N., Liu, M. et al., Nature Sensors (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s44460-026-00078-4)

“Intelligent Tattoo” Method Detects Early Melanoma Signals

Melanoma is a lethal skin cancer in which earlier detection drives better outcomes. Current evaluation relies on visual inspection followed by biopsy, which can miss nascent lesions and lead to unnecessary... Read more

Surgical Techniques

view channel

Image: Significant progress in the treatment of severe heart failure: For the first time, a clinical trial has demonstrated that laboratory-grown heart muscle tissue can improve the pumping function of damaged hearts (Photo courtesy of University Medical Center Göttingen)

Bioengineered Heart Patch Improves Cardiac Function in Advanced Heart Failure

Severe heart failure occurs when damaged heart muscle can no longer generate adequate cardiac output, leaving patients symptomatic and at high risk despite modern therapies. Advanced cases often progress... Read more

$Image: Stryker’s Pangea Plating System brings together thoughtfully designed plates and a streamlined instrumentation set, giving surgeons practical options when treating a range of fractures (Photo courtesy of Stryker)$

Fracture Plating System Combines Anatomical Fit with Streamlined Instrumentation

Fracture management involves diverse anatomies and injury patterns that can make plate fit and fixation strategy challenging. Surgeons need both intraoperative efficiency and flexibility, while hospitals... Read more

$Image: Catherine Duclos places an EEG electrode array on a participant\'s head (Photo courtesy of Alex Tran)$

Pink Noise Stimulation Approach Could Support Safer Anesthesia

Maintaining stable unconsciousness during general anesthesia while minimizing drug exposure remains a core perioperative challenge. Sudden nociceptive surges can disrupt anesthetic depth, increasing neurological... Read more

Surgical Robotic System Gains CE Mark for Minimally Invasive Procedures

Cornerstone Robotics’ (CSR; Hong Kong, China) Sentire Endoscopic Surgical System (Sentire Surgical System) has received European Union CE mark certification under the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) for... Read more

Patient Care

view channel

AI Avatar Doctor Improves Patient Understanding Before Radiotherapy

Radiation oncology consultations require patients to grasp complex concepts quickly, yet anxiety and information overload often undermine understanding and informed consent. Poor comprehension can also... Read more

Wearable Sleep Data Predict Adherence to Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a long-term lung disorder that makes breathing difficult and often disturbs sleep, reducing energy for daily activities. Limited engagement in pulmonary... Read more

Image: The revolutionary automatic IV-Line flushing device set for launch in the EU and US in 2026 (Photo courtesy of Droplet IV)

Revolutionary Automatic IV-Line Flushing Device to Enhance Infusion Care

More than 80% of in-hospital patients receive intravenous (IV) therapy. Every dose of IV medicine delivered in a small volume (<250 mL) infusion bag should be followed by subsequent flushing to ensure... Read more

Image: A screengrab from the VR training module that shows invisible contamination on portable medical equipment (Photo courtesy of Mass General Brigham)

VR Training Tool Combats Contamination of Portable Medical Equipment

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) impact one in every 31 patients, cause nearly 100,000 deaths each year, and cost USD 28.4 billion in direct medical expenses. Notably, up to 75% of these infections... Read more

Health IT

view channel

AI-Native EHR Achieves EU Medical Device Certification

InterSystems (Boston, MA, USA) announced that its IntelliCare electronic health record (EHR) solutions have been certified as Class IIa medical devices under the European Union Medical Device Regulation... Read more

EHR-Integrated Screening Workflow Detects Cognitive Impairment at Admission

Cognitive impairment involves difficulties with thinking, learning, memory, and decision-making, and is more common in older adults. In U.S. hospitals, more than 40% of admitted older adults have dementia,... Read more

Image: The Viz Subdural solution is powered by the Viz.ai platform and includes Viz Assist, which provides artificial intelligence–driven chart summarization (photo courtesy of Viz.ai)

AI System Detects and Quantifies Chronic Subdural Hematoma

Viz.ai (San Francisco, CA, USA) announced a strategic commercialization collaboration with Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, NJ, USA) to expand access in the United States to the Viz Subdural solution... Read more

Image: AION’s TempShield is a U.S. FDA-cleared wearable that continuously monitors body temperature, capturing subtle changes that can signal early clinical deterioration (photo courtesy of AION Biosystems)

Continuous Monitoring Platform Detects Infection Risk Across Care Transitions

Patients leaving skilled nursing facilities often lose continuous physiologic monitoring, increasing the risk of undetected infection and delayed intervention. Nursing home residents are seven times more... Read more

Point of Care

view channel

Image: Hyperfine’s Swoop platform is a portable, ultra-low-field MRI system that is FDA-cleard for brain imaging in patients of all ages (photo courtesy of Hyperfine)

Portable MRI System Accelerates Emergency Brain Imaging and Triage

Emergency departments frequently face delays accessing conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for patients with suspected neurological emergencies. Such waits can slow triage, prolong boarding,... Read more

Point-of-Care Viscoelastic Testing System Supports Obstetric Bleeding Management

HemoSonics (Durham, NC, USA) announced on May 5, 2026 that the company's Quantra Hemostasis System for Obstetric Procedures won Silver in the 2026 Edison Awards in the Women’s Health and Reproductive Innovations... Read more

Image: Hyperfine’s Swoop platform is a portable, ultra-low-field MRI system that is FDA-cleard for brain imaging in patients of all ages (photo courtesy of Hyperfine)

Portable MRI System Gains CE Mark for Point-of-Care Brain Imaging

Rapid neurological assessment in emergency and critical care often hinges on timely brain imaging, yet access to MRI at the point of care remains limited. Diffusion-weighted imaging is central to stroke... Read more

Image: The Nevisense uses a non-invasive procedure that combines EIS technology with AI to provide in-depth skin analysis (photo courtesy of SciBase)

AI-Enabled Platform Supports Clinical Decision-Making in Melanoma Detection

Visual examination remains the foundation of dermatologic assessment for suspicious skin lesions, and many dermatologists are confident using clinical and dermoscopic techniques. However, studies show... Read more

Business

view channel

Endologix Adds FDA-Cleared Peripheral Thrombectomy System

Endologix (Santa Rosa, CA, USA) has acquired the Pounce Thrombectomy System from Surmodics, with the transaction closing on May 18, 2026. The FDA-cleared system is indicated for the non-surgical removal... Read more

Artivion Adds FDA-Approved NEXUS System to Aortic Arch Portfolio

Artivion, Inc. has completed the acquisition of Endospan, developer of the NEXUS Aortic Arch System. The company used a previously drawn $150 million delayed draw term loan to fund the $135 million upfront... Read more

Image: Under the agreement, robot-assisted technologies developed by EndoRobotics will be distributed worldwide as part of the Olympus EndoTherapy portfolio (Photo courtesy of EndoRobotics Co., Ltd)

Olympus Partnership Aims to Expand Access to Robot-Assisted Endoscopic Therapy

Olympus has signed an exclusive global distribution agreement with EndoRobotics Co., Ltd., under which robot-assisted technologies developed by EndoRobotics will be distributed worldwide as part of the... Read more

Johnson & Johnson Launches AI-Driven Cardiac Mapping System

Johnson & Johnson has introduced the CARTOSOUND SONATA Module for the CARTO System at the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) 2026 meeting in Chicago. The module uses artificial intelligence with the CARTO... Read more