Portable Rapid Hepatitis Strain Detection Device CSR Project

Fabrication of a cost effective, portable device for rapid detection and classification of Hepatitis viral strains

Objective

• A low-cost, portable, rapid-test device will be developed that will detect and classify the different viral strains of Hepatitis in under 20 minutes, at home.

Description

• Hepatitis infections are one of the most dangerous liver infections caused by the Hepatitis Virus (HV). Every year 2 billion people are affected, and the number of deaths is about 887,000., The problems with the conventional devices to detect and classify hepatitis is that they are very expensive (approx. Rs. 67 Lakh each), or bulky, or they take too long to yield the result (through the ELISA Test)., The grant will help to develop a cost effective, portable device, which will detect all viral strains of Hepatitis within 20 minutes. The device will be affordable to the general populace, at an approximate cost of Rs 100 each (tentatively).

Impact

• The lightweight, portable devices which will be developed in this project, will detect the exact type of hepatitis virus from the whole blood sample of a patient. The usage of this device will significantly reduce the burden of the diagnostician and the lab technicians., Moreover, it will yield quicker results than the standard tests, which would mean quicker treatment for the patient, thereby preserving their liver and health in the long run.