Researchers create a budget-friendly COVID test that uses a smartphone

Researchers are working on a more budget-friendly way to test for COVID-19. Scientists from the University of California announced that they had developed a new COVID-19 testing system that would only require a phone, an app, and some lab equipment. The testing system would cost less than $100, and every test should cost around $7.

According to the scientists, their new method would be as precise as the tests we are currently using and potentially, it could be modified to detect new COVID-19 variants and other pathogens as well.

It should be noted that the new test was used on only 50 patients, and it currently works only with Samsung Galaxy S9 smartphones due to the phone's specific camera calibrations. But in the future, the new technology is expected to support other phones as well. Although the technology is still under testing and is far from being released, the researchers say that this innovation is promising.

The test works this way: a person needs to download on their phone an app called Bacticount. Following that, the individual must put their saliva into a test kit that is placed atop a hot plate and add a specified reactive solution. This is a process called LAMP (Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification).

After the LAMP process, the samples are then covered with a cardboard box with an LED light mounted on top, and this is where the phone comes into play. After covering the samples, the individual needs to use the Bacticount app and their phone's camera to look through the top of the box.

According to the researchers, the person would be able to see color reactions that would indicate if the sample is positive for COVID-19. In the presence of pathogens, the probes with the reactive solution would bind to them and begin to glow with a bright red light. The more pathogens are present, the faster the sample will start to glow and the faster the app will notice it. The viral load of a person is then calculated depending on how fast that light begins to shine.

Dr. Michael Mann, the project's lead researcher, told Gizmodo that while the test was developed for "resource-limited situations" such as rural hospitals and those without the necessary testing infrastructure, it could also be altered for people to test themselves at home. Currently, there is no available information on when we can expect this new COVID-19test to be available for the public.