17 April 2017
A group of Biomedical Science students from Singapore Polytechnic have designed a kit that can detect and distinguish between Zika and dengue infections using a faster method of diagnosis than existing technology.
The kit, which was developed in collaboration with Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the National Environment Agency, won a Polytechnic Student Research Programme Award.
When viral cells are applied on a test strip, a test line appears, allowing identification of the virus within 10 minutes.
Team member Rachel Chua said that a driving force for the all-female group's project was the impact of the Zika virus on pregnant women and their foetuses, who could be at risk of contracting microcephaly.