Stacking the Odds to Detect Dengue from Saliva

[摘要] Saliva-based tests are not new. The Chinese used saliva for an ancient polygraph called the rice test, in which an interrogator placed grains of dry rice into the mouth of a suspect and asked the suspect to spit out the rice. If the grains of rice stuck to the mouth of the suspect, stress-induced xerostomia was assumed—and therefore the suspect was guilty.Fortunately, over the past 3000 years, we have made progress in salivary diagnostics. One of the latest advances is the design of a new paper-based immunoassay by Jackie Y. Ying, executive director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore.The home pregnancy test is an example of a traditional paper-based immunoassay, known as the lateral flow test. In such a test, the sample flows laterally through the test strip by capillary action. The sample comes in contact with particles with which it can react as it migrates through the strip. This design is popular because of its simplicity and low cost.Jackie Y. YingHowever, although saliva is a rich source of biomarkers, its use in rapid tests has been complicated by proteinaceous products in saliva that interfere with lateral flow reactions. According to George Whitesides of Harvard University, “the basic lateral flow …

[学科分类] 过敏症与临床免疫学