Mobile Phone Microscopy for Global Health Applications

Many major global health threats (malaria, tuberculosis, parasitic infections but also cancer and nutritional issues) require quality diagnostic tests for both clinical and public health purposes; however, such tests are not available in resource-constrained settings. These innovators have developed a mobile phone microscope capable of facilitating diagnostic testing in rural, remote and resource-constrained environments. This device has many attractive attributes for global health applications: it is portable, inexpensive and easy to use, does not require a steady electricity supply, and functions as a point-of-care test.