Affordable Plate Reader in Field Trials for Zika Virus Testing: A Journey of PLUM Reader
What would it take to spark an idea? What would it take to transform the idea into real action? This is the beginning of the journey from a low-cost plate reader to democratized diagnostics, from trips to Latin America to the emergence of a fast-moving start-up!
“Where emerging infectious diseases are concerned, timing is everything. ”
The Challenge
The 2015-2016 outbreak of the Zika virus in Latin America caused devastating brain malfunction in thousands of newborns globally (ref). This public health crisis highlighted the need for rapid, low-cost testing that can be deployed beyond the reach of sophisticated diagnostic laboratories. However, one of the key challenges in building testing capacity at the point of need is access to the necessary research equipment, which can be costly to purchase and maintain. Scientific instrumentation that enables test results to be accurately documented is key for the distribution of reproducible tests. The conventional diagnostic method, Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (RT-qPCR), could not serve the demand alone while it is highly sensitive and specific. As one of the efforts that contributed to innovative solutions for Zika Virus diagnostics, a portable and affordable PCR-free diagnostic developed at the Harvard Wyss Institute was going to be deployed to the field for validation testing, As we discovered in preparation for this applied research project, there were no commercial device options for low-cost and portable optical quantification and characterization. To address this problem, an idea sparked, the low-cost and portable plate reader - PLUM.
Toronto, Canada - Quito, Ecuador
In March 2018, two graduate students, Seray Cicek and Yuxiu (Livia) Guo joined their professor Dr.Keith Pardee on a trip to Quito, Ecuador. What they carried in their luggage was the product of one of their research projects, the PLUM device. This device serves as a low-cost, incubated plate reader that was specifically designed for PCR-free paper-based diagnostics developed by Keith and his collaborators during his time as a post-doc at the Harvard Wyss Institute.
“PLUM serves as a low-cost plate reader, which is a common piece of equipment found in most clinical labs, and we (our team) use it to read the diagnostic reactions for mosquito-borne pathogens in patient samples. These diagnostics represent a new class of tests that run on gene circuit-based sensors, which normally require living cells to operate. Here we have taken the gene circuits out of cells and instead embed them with the freeze-dried machinery of cells (much like instant soup) into paper so that we can deploy them in a bio-safe format. Importantly, by freeze-drying we can also distribute and store our diagnostics at room temperature so that constant refrigeration is not required.” -U of T News: Diary from Ecuador: Keith Pardee on his team's trip to test a new 'better, faster, cheaper ’ diagnostic technology for Zika.
Teams gathered in Quito, Ecuador for training
Toronto, Canada - Recife, Brazil
Fast-forward to April 2019, the PLUM readers were taken to Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Brazil for field testing as part of the paper-based Zika virus diagnostic platform. With the PCR-free molecular sensors targeting the Zika RNA genome, the PLUM devices enabled portable, automated characterization of micro-volume tests in high-throughput (384 wells in one plate). The devices were validated by detecting pathogens in hundreds of patient samples, with in-parallel comparison using the gold-standard RT-qPCR testing.
Like most journeys, this field testing trip was filled with precious memories. You can imagine that this trip was a stress test for both the device prototype and the teams, which exuded tremendous resilience and dedication.
Emergency hardware troubleshooting on one of the PLUM prototypes.
Pipetting molecular tests on-site for Zika virus detection.
The PLUM device running a paper-based cell-free diagnostic test to detect Zika virus.
Realizing the potential impact of accessible diagnostics on lives during this trip, co-founders of LSK Technologies decided to translate this academic project into a startup company. They began to ask themselves: What else could PLUM do? How could this adaptive platform be used to scale up virus testing?
The Kick-Start of LSK Technologies
The previous “little-known” problem of diagnosing infectious diseases became a paramount global concern by the end of 2019 when the outbreak of COVID-19 emerged. Meanwhile, the challenges and questions the co-founding team faced during the field trial locally became global issues for LSK Technologies to provide solutions for. Since that day, the LSK Team has been relentlessly hustling to provide rapid infection and immunity testing for infectious diseases, bringing lab-quality tests to the point of need.
About PLUM-HT™
Following the efforts to optimize the PLUM device, the low-cost plate reader PLUM-HT™ is now available to order on the LSK Technologies website. You can find the product specs and ordering link here.
About our COVID-19 Efforts
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“In the months that followed, Cicek’s team (LSK Technologies) worked to tweak their device so it could accurately detect COVID-19 either by measuring viral nucleic acids or antibodies generated by the immune response against the novel coronavirus.”-U of T News:U of T entrepreneurs to discuss 'surviving and thriving' amid COVID-19 at virtual event
“Designed to be easy-to-use and cost-effective, the tool allows for testing right at the point of collection.” - Waterloo News: Waterloo entrepreneurs turn heads at Y Combinator Demo Day
Above all, thanks for taking the time to read this blog.
Sincerely,
Livia Guo (Co-founder of LSK)
LSK Technologies
PR contacts: media@lifesci-key.com