A Training Device to Build Technical Skills and Expand Access to High-Performance Diagnostic Testing
Caltech engineers developed a low-cost training device to help workers with limited lab experience perform complex diagnostic tests, addressing workforce shortages and reducing testing costs in resource-limited settings.
A Caltech-led team has created a low-cost device designed to train and assist workers with minimal laboratory experience in performing complex diagnostic procedures. The invention targets the persistent shortage of trained personnel that restricts healthcare access in both developing and developed regions. The device focuses on sample-pooling, a technique that combines biological samples from multiple individuals to streamline testing for infectious diseases, reducing time, cost, and resource use.
The device was developed by graduate student Minkyo Lee under the guidance of Rustem F. Ismagilov, a Caltech professor, and is detailed in a paper published in PNAS Nexus. It guides users through nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), which detect genetic material from pathogens like respiratory viruses and hepatitis C. The team notes that high NAAT costs and limited skilled labor hinder access, particularly in resource-limited settings where sample-pooling could be beneficial but is often impractical due to skill requirements.
Sample-pooling is error-prone, requiring precise sample handling and documentation, which typically limits its use to large labs with robotic equipment. The Caltech device aims to make pooling feasible in smaller or decentralized settings by providing language-agnostic, step-by-step instructions with real-time feedback. It uses sounds and lights to alert users to mistakes and guides corrective actions, improving accuracy and reducing uncorrected errors compared to paper instructions.
The team tested the device with 48 participants, including 37 with little or no lab experience, and found it improved their ability to pool mock clinical samples. The device also demonstrated 100 percent agreement with quantitative PCR testing when used with archived clinical stool specimens from children in Bangladesh diagnosed with soil-transmitted helminths. The authors suggest such tools could enable large-scale surveillance programs and support public health decisions in low-prevalence scenarios.