The on-demand world may soon include an on-demand test for infectious disease. And it may come to fruition thanks in part to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, which is funding some of the most cutting edge medical technology in development today.

GE Global Research is working with a team based at the University of Washington to develop a paper-based disposable device, the size of a pack of playing cards, which will be able to detect if a person has an infectious disease by taking a simple nasal swab that yields an answer in less than an hour. The goal is to be able to use the test in remote areas with limited access to medical testing equipment.

“We live in an on-demand world, where news and information is instantaneous. We’ve asked why the same can’t be done for diagnosing infectious diseases where early detection is so critical to positive patient outcomes,” says David Moore, manager of the Membrane and Separation Technologies Lab at GE Global Research and co-principal investigator on the project.

The device combines new designs for paper-based microfluidics with new nucleic amplification methods and GE’s paper chemistries in a device that can test for multiple pathogens within an hour and is fully disposable.

Other collaborators include Seattle Children’s Hospital, Epoch Biosciences, and PATH. Funding comes from an 18-month, $9.6 million grant from DARPA to develop instrument-free nucleic acid amplification for pathogen identification. The team was previously awarded a DARPA grant for $4 million, and is also funded by an ongoing $5.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health that focuses on immunoassay development for detection of influenza.

GE is contributing its expertise in diagnostics materials development, nucleic acid analysis, and device design a simple handheld device that will not have complex instrumentation. The test will be activated once exposed to a nasal swab and will change color to indicate the presence of different target diseases.

“We want this to be as simple as a pregnancy test, where sample preparation to read-out is all done within the device with minimal user intervention,” says Moore.

The researchers will first target methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a drug-resistant bacterium responsible for hard-to-treat infections. MRSA is especially problematic in institutional settings, like hospitals prisons, and military bases, where people generally live in close quarters. Fast diagnosis is key because MRSA infections can worsen rapidly, and in less than a week, take hold in human tissue, becoming very difficult to treat.

The researchers’ plan for the new device is to quickly detect a broad range of pathogens, including sexually transmitted diseases and various viral infections. Ideally, if the target’s DNA and/or RNA can be isolated, purified, amplified, and detected, then any disease could be detected, says Moore.

DARPA is especially interested in the on-demand test for military use, especially in remote areas. Besides use in remote settings, GE envisions primary market opportunities in hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices, where this device could be used to render point-of-care diagnosis.