A new lab on wheels could be a game-changer during the next Ebola outbreak, scientists say.
A prototype was recently displayed at the annual American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) conference. The company that developed it, Greensboro, North Carolina–based Integrum Scientific, says the first vehicle may soon be tested in Uganda.
Outbreaks of deadly diseases in countries lacking adequate laboratory infrastructure drastically compounds containment challenges. Samples must be sent off for analysis, delaying diagnosis, increasing exposures, and magnifying the outbreak.
Integrum Scientific’s lab units can be configured to provide on-site diagnostic capabilities for known pathogens or experimental diagnostics. This configuration also supports standard care during an outbreak or attack, providing routine chemistry, hematology, and blood products.
These mobile laboratories can also be configured for field ready clinical trial support providing diagnostics, cold chain storage for therapeutics (4C to -80C), document handling, test article or investigational material storage and preparation, sample preparation, and secure storage and bio-banking.
Read the more at Science and Integrum Scientific.
