Dutch Startup Develops Highly Sensitive Field Test for Infectious Diseases
Spotlight Diagnostics, a startup based in Eindhoven, Netherlands, is developing a test kit that will enable personnel to rapidly test for infectious diseases without requiring lab facilities. The kit targets infectious diseases like malaria, Chlamydia, gonorrhea and others that take a huge toll on human life. For example, malaria claims at least 600,000 lives globally each year, with most of these fatalities happening in low-income countries. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for approximately 95% of this annual toll. The new test is intended to facilitate rapid diagnostics outside a lab in resource-constrained settings. In low-income countries, healthcare workers often administer treatment without…