Cell-phone-based Early Detection of Multi-organ Injury Biomarkers in Saliva

Rapid diagnosis in combat areas is a growing military need specifically as troops are exposed to chemical threats with significant adverse health effects (http://www.army.mil/e2/c/downloads/351235.pdf).Testing of biomarkers in saliva has recently shown great promise in diagnostics, prognostics, and treatment efficacy follow-up. In addition to its convenience for field sampling and rapid testing, saliva is a rich body fluid with a number of physiological markers. Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS), in collaboration with Holomic, LLC and Prof. James de Lemos of the University of Texas at Austin, proposes to develop a cell phone-based rapid diagnostic device for organ injury biomarkers in saliva. IOS has extensive expertise designing, fabricating, and validating its lateral flow assays (LFA) for point of care (POC) applications. The proposed platform will support frequent onsite testing of troops against organ injuries that could result from their exposure to toxic chemicals.