Mobile Phone Diagnostics Moves Closer

Support offered through events and networking by The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN) and HealthTech and Medicines KTN, has helped to build a consortium of micro engineers and micro biologists that has recently received a £4 million grant for research into telecommunicationdependent STI diagnosis.

The eSTI2, electronic self-testing instruments for STI consortium, was developed under a UKCRC Strategy Development Grant and aims to conduct high quality translational research at St George’s, University of London, into rapid, accurate, polymicrobial, personalised and telecommunicationdependent STI diagnosis and management.

The funding grant administered by the Medical Research Council (MRC), will help build an interface between bio-nanotechnology and bio-engineering over five years. By bringing together micro engineers and micro biologists, the consortium will provide high risk populations with easier and more immediate access to STI diagnosis. The grant will provide funding for evaluation clinics where large scale trials can be carried out and most importantly the opportunity to look at the challenges surrounding the ethics of responsibility that would be given to patients.

Dr Tariq Sadiq, Senior Lecturer and Consultant Physician, St, George’s, University of London comments; “Diagnosis of STIs is increasingly moving away from
healthcare settings and the microbiological challenges that previously limited the development of rapid diagnostics are now being overcome. We are extremely excited about the research and believe it will have a huge impact on people’s lives.”