For anybody who has ever anxiously waited for test results from their doctor, the latest research collaboration between the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) India on point-of-care diagnostics is an eye-opener.
Professor Anil Prabhakar, from IITM’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering, and Distinguished Professor Dayong Jin and Dr Matthew Arnold from UTS School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, are investigating innovative ways to aid in the development of platforms for point-of-care systems, and also to design new synthetic materials.
Point-of-care testing offers an almost instant diagnosis of disease or illness. A small portable device is used to collect samples from the patient, delivering results within minutes, saving the need to send off samples to a lab and wait days for a response.
However, point-of-care diagnostics in remote settings is an on-going challenge for developing countries and for many parts of Australia not well connected with urban centres. The collaboration will help familiarise UTS with the challenges faced by developing nations in delivering low-cost but effective healthcare.
The ARC Research Hub for Integrated Device for End-user Analysis at Low-levels (IDEAL), directed by Professor Jin at UTS, is a multimillion-dollar research initiative to develop portable, user-friendly point-of-care testing devices.
Read the full story in the UTS Newsroom.