Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara have developed a cheaper method for home COVID-19 testing that involves a smartphone camera and app.
The new testing system uses basic lab equipment and an app called Bacticount to detect possible pathogens in a person's saliva. You put your saliva sample into a test kit and then use it. Current at- home COVID tests use a solution process similar to the one you use to amplify viral RNA.
This specific process is called a loop-mediated isothermal amplification.
The sample would go inside the box on the left, where an LED would shine. Credit: University of California, Santa Barbara
You put a cardboard box with a light over it once the potential viral RNA is amplified. The camera on the phone should be able to see any color reactions that indicate the presence of COVID-19. The solution should create a bright red light if there is a viral load. The red light should appear quicker if the load is larger. The app will estimate your load based on how quickly that light appears.
The cost of using this new test setup would be less than $100, plus the price of the phone you would need to run the app, according to Gizmodo.
The researchers say this testing method could have the same accuracy rate as a PCR test, and being able to conduct the test at home could potentially allow for much quicker results than a PCR test taken at a doctor's office that handles hundreds of samples a day. The study had a relatively small sample size of 50 people, so further research is needed before it can be widely implemented.
The test kit was originally designed for resource-limited settings, but its head researcher told Gizmodo that it could be adapted for home testing as well. The Bacticount app is only compatible with the S9 due to its camera calibrations. This could change in the future as research continues, and allow for more smartphone cameras to tap into the testing technology.
