The fastest spinning object driven by human power
January 13, 2017 6:00 AM Subscribe
Introducing a human-powered centrifuge which separates blood into individual components in ninety seconds and costs 20 cents.
From Dr Manu Prakash, who previously created a simple but effective foldable paper microscope and a programmable chemistry testing kit comes another low-cost way to improve healthcare in regions without electricity.
The centrifuge is critical for detecting a number of diseases including malaria, but many clinics cannot afford one or cannot use them because of a lack of power. The new Paperfuge (Nature) can spin up to 125,000 rpm and is comparable to existing centrifuges that cost between $1000 and $5000.
The overall aim is to create a set of scientific tools which can be carried in a backpack in the most remote areas of the world.
From Dr Manu Prakash, who previously created a simple but effective foldable paper microscope and a programmable chemistry testing kit comes another low-cost way to improve healthcare in regions without electricity.
The centrifuge is critical for detecting a number of diseases including malaria, but many clinics cannot afford one or cannot use them because of a lack of power. The new Paperfuge (Nature) can spin up to 125,000 rpm and is comparable to existing centrifuges that cost between $1000 and $5000.
The overall aim is to create a set of scientific tools which can be carried in a backpack in the most remote areas of the world.
It would be cool if he won the Nobel Prize for Medicine.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:45 AM on January 13, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:45 AM on January 13, 2017 [6 favorites]
Wow! I am in complete awe of these projects. I hope that they lead to the increased access to information that people need.
posted by meinvt at 7:11 AM on January 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by meinvt at 7:11 AM on January 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
It is a bit of a stretch to say that the second device is a "chemistry device" it is more of a programmable microfluidic device. The hard part of chemistry isn't the addition of drops of stuff in a programmable fashion. The hard part is adding the right drops of the right things to make what you want, then being able to purify it away from the stuff that you don't want.
The centrifuge seems rather neat though, not quite large enough to spin down cell cultures to do microbiology like protein preps, but certainly enough for doing some DNA extraction or the medical diagnostics. I wonder if it would be possible to make one that would hold eppendorf tubes, possibly via some sort of 3d printed central disk rather than the simple paper disks. I could see that gaining use in school labs rather than using the more expensive centrifuges. I bet you could have one 3dprinted for $5 and it could hold 4-6 eppindorfs.
posted by koolkat at 7:26 AM on January 13, 2017
The centrifuge seems rather neat though, not quite large enough to spin down cell cultures to do microbiology like protein preps, but certainly enough for doing some DNA extraction or the medical diagnostics. I wonder if it would be possible to make one that would hold eppendorf tubes, possibly via some sort of 3d printed central disk rather than the simple paper disks. I could see that gaining use in school labs rather than using the more expensive centrifuges. I bet you could have one 3dprinted for $5 and it could hold 4-6 eppindorfs.
posted by koolkat at 7:26 AM on January 13, 2017
Epindorf tubes are pretty heavy at 30,000Gs though. I don't think 3d printed things tend to be that strong these days, but I'm not totally up to date.
posted by Shutter at 7:42 AM on January 13, 2017
posted by Shutter at 7:42 AM on January 13, 2017
Several years ago I read about somebody adapting salad spinners to accomplish the same thing in "Africa."
posted by Pembquist at 8:47 AM on January 13, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Pembquist at 8:47 AM on January 13, 2017 [2 favorites]
This is great. Simple design concept, practical application, and actually accessible for people in lower tech environments.
posted by rmd1023 at 8:47 AM on January 13, 2017
posted by rmd1023 at 8:47 AM on January 13, 2017
"Supercoiling-mediated ultrafast spinning dynamics" sounds like either something from Star Trek or from a Scientology promotional pamphlet.
posted by dreymond at 9:45 AM on January 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by dreymond at 9:45 AM on January 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
Damn it. Saw this last night, figured it would already be posted. Didn't check. Que linka, linka.
posted by Samizdata at 9:59 AM on January 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Samizdata at 9:59 AM on January 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
I am curious to know: so you can separate the blood into fractions w/o electricity and much in the way of lab infrastructure [*]. Can you then perform useful diagnostics also w/o electricity?
[*] - You still need to be able to perform a good blood draw and xfer the sample cleanly into the capillary tube, right?
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 1:21 PM on January 13, 2017
[*] - You still need to be able to perform a good blood draw and xfer the sample cleanly into the capillary tube, right?
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 1:21 PM on January 13, 2017
" Can you then perform useful diagnostics also w/o electricity?"
From the article:
This guy makes the coolest stuff. I did the kickstarter for the foldscope because I think my kids will enjoy it a whole bunch, and I'm so interested in Prakash's work.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:52 PM on January 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
From the article:
"From lab-based trials, they found that malaria parasites could be separated from red blood cells in 15 minutes. And by spinning the sample in a capillary precoated with acridine orange dye, glowing malaria parasites could be identified by simply placing the capillary under a microscope."which is noted a couple of paragraphs down is doable with a $1 foldscope that he also created.
This guy makes the coolest stuff. I did the kickstarter for the foldscope because I think my kids will enjoy it a whole bunch, and I'm so interested in Prakash's work.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:52 PM on January 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by Harald74 at 6:21 AM on January 13, 2017