As researchers around the world develop cheap paper devices to detect health threats including the Ebola virus and malaria, biological threats appear to be the next target. U.S. researchers are developing a paper diagnostic tool that could detect ricin using materials that would cost a few dollars, and require an electronic reader valued at about US$100.
Anthony Esposito, of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and Richard Crooks, of the University of Texas at Austin, are working on the device that is assembled using origami and is “based on a magnetic microbead-supported silver nanoparticle (AgNP) sandwich assay that combines high-quality antibodies with a handheld electrochemical detection platform.”
Researchers aim to improve the paper platform and lower the read time, which would help defence and homeland security communities defend against biological threats.
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