MIT’s Ampli Blocks Are Capable of Producing Diagnostic Devices

MIT Little Devices Lab researchers have designed a system of small modular blocks that can be assembled in a myriad of different ways for medical diagnostics. To put it another way, the little plug-and-play devices can be configured to test for everything from cancer to the Zika virus. What’s more, the blocks are inexpensive to produce (costing roughly six cents) and do not require refrigeration or special maintenance.

The idea behind their Ampli blocks is to allow low-resource laboratories a way to build their own libraries and independently treat local patients.

“We see these construction kits as a way of lowering the barriers to making medical technology.” — Jose Gomez-Marquez, co-director of the Little Devices Lab

The researchers have made roughly 40 different modules that lab technicians can use to assemble specific diagnostic paperfluidic circuits to test for various diseases. The plug-and-play units themselves (about the size of a dime), were designed using a sheet of paper or glass fiber that’s sandwiched between a plastic or metal block with a glass cover. Some blocks feature channels for fluid to flow through, while others have turns and openings for sample introduction. The circuit design is carried out in breadboard fashion, with each module connected to the other by snapping them together at their respective edges.

These modules can also perform different biochemical functions, with some containing antibodies capable of detecting specific molecules in blood or urine samples. Those antibodies are connected to nanoparticles that change colors when the sample tests positive, making it easy for technicians to discern test data.

The Ampli blocks are color-coded for each function, making it easy for technicians to assemble the circuit design needed. The researchers plan to upload a myriad of test designs that can be constructed using the modules, making it easy for lab workers to assemble whatever design is needed.

The researchers hope to get their modular diagnostic platform to small labs in both developing and industrialized countries and have already sent the platform to Chile and Nicaragua to help monitor patient’s reactions to TB treatments as well as to test for a form of malaria that’s difficult to treat.