By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Mobile Health Around the Globe: Smartphone Microscope for Nano Particle Detection
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Mobile Health > Mobile Health Around the Globe: Smartphone Microscope for Nano Particle Detection
eHealthMobile Health

Mobile Health Around the Globe: Smartphone Microscope for Nano Particle Detection

joan justice
joan justice
Share
3 Min Read
mhealth
SHARE

mhealth

Scientists at UCLA and at the California NanoSystems Institute have developed a small portable microscope that attaches to the camera module of a smartphone and detects nano particles including bacteria and viruses.  

mhealth

Scientists at UCLA and at the California NanoSystems Institute have developed a small portable microscope that attaches to the camera module of a smartphone and detects nano particles including bacteria and viruses.  

More Read

5 Healthcare Industry Issues of 2016
Is There Latent Patient Power in Europe?
ICD-10 Delay: What You Can Expect Over the Next Year
Virtual Physician ‘Visits’ on the Increase
DocCheck – The European Social Medwork

The microscope device is light and portable and could be used in remote locations to monitor how well treatments for infections are working by detecting viruses and bacteria without the need for bulky and expensive microscopes and lab equipment.  The device weighs less than half a pound.smartphone microscope

Aydogan Ozcan (image at right) and his colleagues developed the portable imaging system to address the need for a less expensive, powerful but compact microscope that could be uses in areas with limited resources.  

“This cellphone-based imaging platform could be used for specific and sensitive detection of sub-wavelength objects, including bacteria and viruses and therefore could enable the practice of nanotechnology and biomedical testing in field settings and even in remote and resource-limited environments,” Ozcan said. “These results also constitute the first time that single nanoparticles and viruses have been detected using a cellphone-based, field-portable imaging system.”

The microscope was used to detect polystyrene beads as small as 90-100 nanometers and this was validated using a scanning electron microscope (see photo above, courtesy ACS).

The microscope was also used to image individual HCMV particles.  HCMV is a member of the herpes virus family and it can cause mortality in those whose immune system is compromised.  It is also one of the leading causes of virus-associated birth defects such as mental retardation and deafness.  A single HCMV particle is about 150-300 nanometers. (For comparison, a human hair is about 100,000 nanometers thick).

Ozcan is the principal investigator on the research.  He is the founder of the mobile microanalysis startup company, Holomic LLC.

The scientists conclude:

“Given its high sensitivity and field-portability, our cellphone-based fluorescence imaging platform could be useful for specific imaging of various fluorescently labeled specimen such as bacteria and viruses in field settings.  Therefore, it holds significant promise for various point-of-care applications such as viral load measurements or other biomedical tests conducted in remote or resource-limited environments.”

Sources:

http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/presspacs/2013/acs-presspac-september-25-2013/improved-smartphone-microscope-brings-single-virus-detection-to-.html

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/ipdf/10.1021/nn4037706

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-researchers-smartphone-microscope-248254.aspx

To read other posts in this exclusive ongoing series, please visit the Mobile Health Around the Globe main page. And if you have a Mobile Health Around the Globe story to tell, please post a comment below or email me at joan@socialmediatoday.com  Thanks!

TAGGED:Mobile Health Around the Globe
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Image
Mobile HealthSpecialties

Mobile Health Around the Globe: Synappz App Helps Organize Urinary Intake & Output

November 12, 2012
Image
Social Media

Credibility and Privacy Issues Limit Usefulness of Health Care Social Communities

December 5, 2011
BusinesseHealthMedical EducationTechnology

Working From Home In Healthcare: Can You Adapt To Remote Work?

July 30, 2019

Online Patient Communities Garner Interest at Social Media Week, Toronto

February 19, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?