Most viral test kits rely on labor- and time-intensive laboratory preparation and analysis techniques; for example, tests for the novel coronavirus can take days to detect the virus from nasal swabs. Led by Illinois ECE Professors Rashid Bashir, Abel Bliss Professor of Engineering, and Brian T Cunningham, Donald Biggar Willett Professor in Engineering, researchers have now demonstrated an inexpensive yet sensitive smartphone-based testing device for viral and bacterial pathogens that takes about 30 minutes to complete. The roughly $50 smartphone accessory could reduce the pressure on testing laboratories during a pandemic such as COVID-19.
