Centrifuge-free plasma separation consumable for global point of care viral diagnostics

Currently there are no suitable independent PoC methods for processing patient blood samples to provide plasma for medical diagnostic tests. This means analysis is restricted to centralised laboratory facilities and this significantly impacts time to result and subsequent treatment, and cost to the healthcare provider. This project seeks to capitalise on development of a single-use cartridge that can simply process whole blood from a patient finger-prick blood sample to provide plasma for downstream blood borne virus testing. Plasma can be used with Genedrive® diagnostic tests for hepatitis C (HCV), or any other vendor platforms and diagnostic tests that use plasma as a starting sample. Providing a cartridge that can process blood without relying on clinical laboratory equipment, will significantly impact the provision of many molecular diagnostic tests in low resource settings, where the vast majority of infectious disease diagnostics are required. We have established a working prototype for plasma virus separation based on size exclusion where blood cells are trapped and smaller viral particles (eg. HCV) move through a membrane with the plasma. The sensitivity of the single use device is within the ranges required for clinical use. This technology has the opportunity to change the way blood borne viral diagnostics are conducted in decentralised settings in resource limited countries, providing improved patient care and more timely therapy, and ultimately positively impacting on global health challenges in infectious diseases.