iPad-Sized Mobile Device That Tests HIV AIDS Within an Hour Developed in US

A US-based nanotechnology firm claims to have developed in what has been described as the first of its kind mobile device that can detect HIV infections which can cause AIDS.

The device named Gene-Radar can detect the viral infection within an hour. The technology is expected to revolutionise medicinal health for it can also track the spread of infection in real time, according to the firm, Nanobiosym.

The iPad-sized Gene-Radar is "a portable, low cost, point-of-care diagnostic that quantifies viral load of HIV strains in under an hour; without the need for conventional lab infrastructure," Dr Anita Goel, head of the nanotechnology firm in Boston, said.

Goel said that Gene-Rada reduces the cost and time of taking gold standard test for diagnosing AIDS. While the test would otherwise cost approximately $200 (£124) and take two weeks to show the result, the new mobile device makes an HIV test 50 times cheaper and yields results in under an hour.

"What we've done at Gene-Radar is take that test — that costs $200 and takes two weeks — and make it accessible. So we've brought it almost 50 to 100 times cheaper," she added.

"This will provide life-saving treatment for people living with HIV and prevent the spread of drug-resistant strains in Africa and beyond."

Goel's firm has also developed an app for the device that allows users to upload data into the cloud so that the spreading of the disease could be monitored in a particular place.

Gene-Radar works by putting a drop of blood or saliva on a nanochip, which has the ability to identify DNA and RNA signatures, which show the illness or disease the patient has.