The Philippines has reached another medical milestone in the fight against the dengue scourge with the “Lab-in-a-Mug” Dengue Test Kit developed by a team from the University of the Philippines.
Harnessing the ingenuity of Filipino scientist/doctors, and with the full backing of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Dr. Raul Destura and his team, from the UP Manila National Health Institutes and the UP Diliman National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, were able to create the Lab-in-a-Mug device (also known as Biotek M Dengue Kit) – a faster and cheaper diagnostic kit for dengue disease released by the startup company, Manila HealthTek Inc.
The Geneva Inventors Convention gold awardee Dengue Test Kit complements the anti-dengue cure being developed by the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute with support from the DOST.
Lab in the Mug
This good technology breakthrough is a locally developed, efficient, and cost-effective molecular tool designed and inspired to help our marginalized sector by providing a cheaper and rapid detection of the dengue disease necessary for the early and proper treatment of patients.
The diagnostic kit acts as a confirmatory test for diagnosis of dengue infection in the first 0-5 days of illness. It is 94% specific with sensitivity of 87% and results would be known in an hour or less. The device is designed to be used in hospitals or clinics with minimal laboratory facilities.
Going Global
Recent developments reveal that the Lab-in-a-Mug diagnostic kit is being set for international export and distribution after it passed the evaluation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Diagnostics Initiative (ADI) panel of experts for use in the region to fight the deadly virus.
DOST was able to get the nod of the ASEAN panel of experts, who screens technologies which are made available across the ASEAN markets, to evaluate the locally developed diagnostic kit device.
More to Expect
Besides the Lab in the Mug diagnostic kit for dengue, there are more diagnostic kit projects being developed in the Philippines for tuberculosis, leptospirosis, influenza, salmonellosis, chikungunya and NTDs like schistosomiasis and paragonimiasis are already in the pipeline.
Cooperation between DOST and Filipino scientists, doctors and inventors are producing greats results that not only benefit Filipinos but the rest of the world as well. Among these innovations are the world’s first dengue cure, medicines for hypertension, gout, and other ailments.
SEND cheers in the comments below to Filipino scientists for innovating in the medical field!
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