Encomium
French scientists have developed a new device similar to a simple pregnancy home-test which could be used to diagnose a patient with suspected Ebola in less than15 minutes.
The kit is simple to use in the field without any additional equipment.
France’s Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) said in a statement today (October 21, 2014) that trials at a high-security lab have validated the technique and prototype kits should be available in Ebola-hit countries by the end of October for a clinical trial.
“It can give a result in less than 15 minutes for anyone showing symptoms of the disease. Current tests, which are based on genetic detection of the virus, are highly sensitive but need special equipment, take between two and a quarter and two and a half hours and can only be carried out in a lab,” the CEA explained.
