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Microscope in your phone

Microscope in your phone

Smartphones are becoming a platform for all kinds of activities. Most recent among them is the possibility of scanning DNA by using any of these devices as fluorescence microscopes. The adaptation was designed to be used in the diagnosis of different types of cancer and neurological diseases in remote locations, in addition to detecting resistance to medications prescribed to fight infectious diseases. To set up the microscope, the smartphone will be attached to a kit that includes a small lens, filters, and a laser emitter. The new device was designed by the researchers headed by Aydogan Ozcan from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The DNA to be scanned must be isolated and fluorescently labeled before the microscope can be used. This procedure is feasible even in environments with limited resources. The digitized information is uploaded from the phone via the internet to a laboratory for analysis.

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