Portable Optical Sensor for Rapid, Non-Invasive, and On-Site Diagnosis of Tuberculosis (TB)
Principal Investigator’s Organization (PIO):
LUMS, Lahore
Principal Investigator (PI):
Dr. Imran Cheema
Summary
The Bio-Agri-Photonics (BAP) Lab at LUMS, is developing a portable optical sensor to help health care sectors for rapid, non-invasive, and on-site diagnosis of Tuberculosis (TB).
Brainchild of Dr. Muhammad Imran Cheema, a portable optical sensor is being developed for on-site diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB); a disease which is known to every second household in Pakistan.
Using laser Raman spectroscopy, a simple breath test will analyze a patient for rapid, on-site diagnosis. The inner walls of the collection chamber they breathe into are chemically treated to capture the organic TB biomarkers present in the patient breath. A laser beam is then passed through the chamber, and the transmitted light is detected as a function of the raman shifts, determining the frequency.
The diagnosis of TB is then performed based on the chemically-specific spectroscopic signatures of the TB biomarkers present in the breath. This process will provide a novel TB sensor which is non-invasive, accurate, sensitive, and label free. By developing an easy to use non-invasive optical sensor, immediate TB diagnosis can be provided without the aid of specialized laboratory personnel. This is also easily portable to remote areas with lack of healthcare infrastructure.
