Experimental HIV test might help improve diagnosis, treatment in developing countries

"Scientists have come up with a test for the virus that causes AIDS that is 10 times more sensitive and a fraction of the cost of existing methods, offering the promise of better diagnosis and treatment in the developing world," Reuters reports. "The test uses nanotechnology to give a result that can be seen with the naked eye by turning a sample red or blue, according to research from scientists at Imperial College in London published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology," the news agency writes (Wickham, 10/28). "The test can be configured to a unique signature of a disease or virus -- such as a protein found on the surface of HIV," and if the marker is present, a chemical reaction causes a blue result and a red result if the marker is not present, according to BBC News. "Early testing showed the presence of markers of HIV and prostate cancer could be detected," BBC News notes, adding, "However, trials on a much larger scale will be needed before it could be used clinically" (Gallagher, 10/28).