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International Development Research @ Cambridge

 

When the deadly Ebola virus began to spread in 2014, patients were tested by taking a blood sample. The problem with this method was that samples had to be taken by staff with specialist expertise and tested in a specialist lab, taking five to eight hours with only a handful of these facilities worldwide.

Through our R2HC programme, we funded Dr Sterghios Moschos (then at Westminster University, currently at Northumbria University) to carry out research into the possibility of testing and treating patients at the point of care, therefore reducing the spread of the disease. By working with a manufacturer of innovative diagnostic solutions, the EbolaCheck diagnostic platform was created.

EbolaCheck is mobile, requiring only a drop of blood to carry out the test (700 times less than previously needed), and only takes 70 minutes to complete. This means the test is safer to carry out and doesn’t require specialist staff – significantly reducing the cost of diagnosis.

Importantly the diagnostic tool is currently being piloted to test for other diseases!

Want to know more about how it works? See this ITV report and read their publication on the research and creation of the EbolaCheck platform.

 

For further details, please see the source article here.

Welcome to Cambridge Global Challenges

Cambridge Global Challenges is the Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) of the University of Cambridge that aims to enhance the contribution of its research towards addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, with a particular focus on the poorest half of the world’s population.

 

Join the Interdisciplinary Research Centre

Register to Cambridge Global Challenges and to the IRC's mailing list here.

 

Learn about the support we provide 

Learn how Cambridge Global Challenges can support your research here.

 

Contact us

coordinator@gci.cam.ac.uk​