Foldscope: A Better Alternative To Clinical Microscope
Composed of a series of paper clippings, foldscope is an affordable origami-based microscopy device. The device can hold a specimen slide for observation upon assembly and via a mobile phone camera attached to it, this specimen can be viewed.
The clinical utility of Foldscope in the diagnosis of diseases using various patient samples has been explored and validated by a team of doctors from a government hospital in Panchkula, Haryana, a private hospital in the National Capital Region (NCR), and a medical college from Imphal, in collaboration with Dr. Alka Rao‘s group at the Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh.
The study evaluated the efficacy of the foldscope as a motivational tool for improving oral health among school children in India and its use in the clinical diagnosis of oral and urinary tract infections.
According to the study, the Foldscope is particularly convenient to monitor kidney stones and diagnose urinary tract infections (UTI). With a phone, a Foldscope, and a simple glass-slide in hand, one can easily monitor their own kidney stone status at home using this tool. Surgery in recurring cases or a painful state can be perhaps prevented by such monitoring
.Principal Scientist at IMTECH, Dr. Alka Rao said, “For primary diagnosis of oral health and UTI or as a personal health monitoring device, Foldscope may be employed in public healthcare centers given the ease of operation and low cost.”
On a transparent glass slide, a patient sample like urine is smeared on, and under a Foldscope mounted on a cell phone in order to do the assessment, the sample is visualized. Using the zoom function of the mobile, sample images can be enlarged and for later reference/patient records, the images can be stored on the mobile memory card. Foldscope can be mounted on cell phones using a coupler and glue drops and can be assembled using paper clips.
By examining five different types of clinical samples, the researchers qualitatively compared the Foldscope to a clinical microscope. The Foldscope was effective in detecting infection in urine samples and in dental plaque samples among the different types of clinical samples. Around 25 urine samples of patients aged 11–62 years and 31 dental plaque samples of patients aged 3–13 years were further analyzed by the team.
Dr. Rao said, “For motivating oral hygiene among 80 school children aged 12 years, we evaluated the use of Foldscope as an educational tool and found that compared to the students in the non-intervention group, the students in the Foldscope intervention group had better measures of oral hygiene.”
A major cause of kidney stones, calcium oxalate crystals, appeared to be visualized using Foldscope based on the study findings. Dr. Rao said, “Due to environmental factors such as water quality in some regions, people are more prone to kidney stones and in such areas, this tool can be applied successfully.”
Taken together, according to the study data, due to its affordability and zero maintenance cost, the Foldscope can be a better alternative to the clinical microscope as it can be used as an in-house diagnostic tool and personal health monitoring tool on a routine basis.
