Mini-microscope detects disease at point-of-care

The advance is expected to take microscopy out of laboratories for use in areas with basic levels of healthcare thanks to novel techniques for high-resolution imaging and image transfer over data networks.

The team - made up of researchers from the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, FIMM, University of Helsinki and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden - was led by Dr. Johan Lundin and Dr. Ewert Linder.

Together, they modified inexpensive imaging devices, such as a webcam and a mobile phone camera, into a mini-microscope.

The test sample was placed directly on the exposed surface of the image sensor chip after removal of the optics.

The resolution of such mini-microscopes was dependent on the pixel size of the sensor, but sufficient for identification of several pathogenic parasites.

In their study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases the researchers were able to use the mini-microscopes they constructed to yield images of parasitic worm eggs present in urine and stools of infected individuals.