When I look to the future of home-based, consumer-oriented lab testing, I tend to think mostly about lab-on-a-chip using mocrofluidics (see: INTRODUCTION TO LAB-ON-A-CHIP 2015 : REVIEW, HISTORY AND FUTURE). Often forgotten has been dipstick technology that has been used for many decades for urinalysis and pregnancy testing. Now comes news that an Israel-based company is using smartphone cameras to more precisely interpret the color changes in dipsticks (See: Healthy.io uses your smartphone's camera for medical lab testing at home). Below is an excerpt from the article:
Dip.io uses a smartphone and a dipstick to perform urine tests that can detect ten indicators of disease, infection, and pregnancy-related complications. The system is very simple from a user point of view. You capture a photo of the dipstick against a color and Dip.io does the rest. The app uses machine learning to color correct the image, considering camera make and model, lighting conditions and a variety of additional variables. The app then performs an instant analysis. In clinical trials undertaken in the process of receiving FDA approval, Dip.io was capable of matching the accuracy of professional laboratories.... Healthy.io is currently running a pilot program with the pharmacist Boots UK. Women who suspect they have urinary tract infections can use the system to self-test and receive treatment from a pharmacist without seeing a doctor or visiting a lab. The results of the pilot are expected to be announced in May.
Running a trial for home diagnosis of urinary tract infections in women makes perfect sense if the diagnosis of the condition is reliable. It's clear that a urine culture at the present time will always be superior to the results of a dipstick (see: Can I Take a Home Test for a UTI?). Some articles cast doubt on the reliability of dipstick technology for UTIs (see, for example: Reliability of dipstick assay in predicting urinary tract infection). It's possible now that a more reliable way to assess color change in a dipstick using a smart phone will stimulate the development new types of dipstick products based on new science and biochemistry. Such new products would certainly be in step with the emerging trends of putting more responsibility in the hands of healthcare consumers at home.
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