Mobile nucleic acid amplification testing (mobiNAAT) for Chlamydia trachomatis screening in hospital emergency department settings

D J Shin; P Athamanolap; L Chen; J Hardick; M Lewis; Y H Hsieh; R E Rothman; C A Gaydos; T H Wang

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-04781-8

Mobile nucleic acid amplification testing (mobiNAAT) for Chlamydia trachomatis screening in hospital emergency department settings

Sci Rep. 2017 Jul 3;7(1):4495. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-04781-8.

Authors

D J Shin¹, P Athamanolap¹, L Chen², J Hardick³, M Lewis⁴, Y H Hsieh⁴, R E Rothman^{3

4}, C A Gaydos^{3

4}, T H Wang^{5

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
³ Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
⁴ Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
⁵ Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA. thwang@jhu.edu.
⁶ Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA. thwang@jhu.edu.
⁷ Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA. thwang@jhu.edu.

Abstract

Management of curable sexually-transmitted infections (STI) such as Chlamydia can be revolutionized by highly sensitive nucleic acid testing that is deployable at the point-of-care (POC). Here we report the development of a mobile nucleic acid amplification testing (mobiNAAT) platform utilizing a mobile phone and droplet magnetofluidics to deliver NAAT in a portable and accessible format. By using magnetic particles as a mobile substrate for nucleic acid capture and transport, fluid handling is reduced to particle translocation on a simple magnetofluidic cartridge assembled with reagents for nucleic acid purification and amplification. A mobile phone user interface operating in tandem with a portable Bluetooth-enabled cartridge-processing unit facilitates process integration. We tested 30 potentially Chlamydia trachomatis (CT)-infected patients in a hospital emergency department and confirmed that mobiNAAT showed 100% concordance with laboratory-based NAAT. Concurrent evaluation by a nontechnical study coordinator who received brief training via an embedded mobile app module demonstrated ease of use and reproducibility of the platform. This work demonstrates the potential of mobile nucleic acid testing in bridging the diagnostic gap between centralized laboratories and hospital emergency departments.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Chlamydia Infections / diagnosis*
Chlamydia Infections / microbiology*
Chlamydia trachomatis / genetics*
Emergency Service, Hospital
Female
Humans
Male
Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques*
Point-of-Care Systems
Sensitivity and Specificity
Workflow

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding