UCF chemist develops portable test to detect Zika within 30 minutes

D2Dx could be used to detect other blood-borne diseases too

ORLANDO, Fla. – A University of Central Florida chemist and startup co-founder has developed a Zika test device that takes up no more space than a small printer and can rapidly detect the infection.

Dr. Quo Treen Huo created the technology, called D2Dx, which uses a special mixture containing gold nanoparticles to detect anti-Zika antibodies found in patients with the infection.

Huo said the test, co-developed by UCF and the startup Nano Discovery, Inc., has several benefits over tests currently used to detect the virus.

D2DX is small, which makes it affordable and transportable to remote areas. The new diagnostic test is also quick, detecting the virus within 30 minutes. Current Zika tests often take days or hours to get results using large and expensive equipment, Huo said.

The test can also be administered easily using a few drops of blood from a finger prick, similar to a blood glucose test.

Huo said the test could also be adapted for testing other diseases.

“This technique has the potential for many other diseases, too,” Huo said. “Zika is a threat now, so we started looking at this approach for the virus more than a year ago. Thanks to a recent Zika grant from the Florida Department of Health, we were able to greatly accelerate the progress of our work.”

Nano Discovery is awaiting a U.S. Food and Drug Administration review for emergency-use of the test. Once the startup receives approval the testing device can go on the market.

Nano Discovery was a client of the UCF Venture Lab, which helps startups create business plans and offers advice to people looking to start a business.

Several UCF students have worked on the project, including doctoral student Tianyu Zheng.

“I am so excited to see that our research is heading toward commercialization and we can use nanotechnology to help solve real-world problems," Zheng said of working on D2Dx.

 


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