Lab Without Walls is part of a collation of groups working on the development of an open molecular-biology-based platform that can rapidly test for a range of pathogens in remote locations.
The technology brings laboratory capabilities to front lines (point of contact) of infection, providing diagnoses within several hours, eliminating transportation of samples, and potentially greatly improving patient outcomes.
Portable enough to be trucked into the most isolated locations.Diagnostic tests are a fundamental component of a successful disease outbreak containment. Outbreaks such as Ebola, Yellow Fever, and Covid-19 have been exacerbated by diagnostic tests that must be performed in centralised laboratories far from the front lines of the epidemic.
Lab Without Walls is bringing sophisticated diagnosis technologies to the places they’re needed and have already been used in outback Western Australia, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.
Some of the key capabilities that this system delivers include:
– Rapid detection – 150 patients per operator per day.
– Broad based detection including bacteria, viruses and fungi.
– Open platform – suitable for any molecular tests.
– Remote deployment, small footprint equipment.
– Proven, Australian-made technology.
– High sensitivity and specificity – independent evaluations based on clinical samples.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) enables the detection of bacteria, viruses or fungi on a molecular level, with higher degrees of accuracy than microscopy or serology.
qPCR allows quantification by amplifying a specific fragment of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA), often used in pathogen diagnostics. It is possible
to design qPCR for any microorganism, using any brand of qPCR reagents.
This approach is also considerably faster than the days or weeks it takes to grow a culture and diagnose disease, representing a revolutionary tool for combating time-sensitive healthcare situations.
Serving remote and isolated communities such as oil & gas workers.
