title: Universal mobile electrochemical detector designed for use in resource-limited applications.
abstract: This paper describes an inexpensive, handheld device that couples the most common forms of electrochemical analysis directly to "the cloud" using any mobile phone, for use in resource-limited settings. The device is designed to operate with a wide range of electrode formats, performs on-board mixing of samples by vibration, and transmits data over voice using audio--an approach that guarantees broad compatibility with any available mobile phone (from low-end phones to smartphones) or cellular network (second, third, and fourth generation). The electrochemical methods that we demonstrate enable quantitative, broadly applicable, and inexpensive sensing with flexibility based on a wide variety of important electroanalytical techniques (chronoamperometry, cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, square wave voltammetry, and potentiometry), each with different uses. Four applications demonstrate the analytical performance of the device: these involve the detection of (i) glucose in the blood for personal health, (ii) trace heavy metals (lead, cadmium, and zinc) in water for in-field environmental monitoring, (iii) sodium in urine for clinical analysis, and (iv) a malarial antigen (Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2) for clinical research. The combination of these electrochemical capabilities in an affordable, handheld format that is compatible with any mobile phone or network worldwide guarantees that sophisticated diagnostic testing can be performed by users with a broad spectrum of needs, resources, and levels of technical expertise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nemiroski
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
authors.forename: Dionysios C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Christodouleas
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
authors.forename: Jonathan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hennek
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
authors.forename: Ashok A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
authors.forename: E Jane
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Física y Analítica, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Fernández-Abedul
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology,Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, andThe Kavli Insitute for Bionano Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; and gwhitesides@gmwgroup.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: George M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Whitesides
mesh_terms: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004566:Electrodes; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012964:Sodium / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D001786:Blood Glucose; C514457:HRP-2 antigen, Plasmodium falciparum; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D012964:Sodium
keywords: electrochemistry; low-cost potentiostat; mHealth; point-of-care diagnostics; telemedicine
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