Low-cost tools for diagnosing and monitoring HIV infection in low-resource settings
Grace Wu & Muhammad H Zaman
Volume 90, Number 12, December 2012, 914-920
Table 1. ASSURED characteristics (WHO) and examples of target specifications for the evaluation of point-of-care devices
| Characteristic | Target specification |
|---|---|
| Affordable | Less than US$ 500 per machine, less than US$ 10 per test |
| Sensitivity, specificity | Lower limit of detection: 500 HIV RNA copies per mL, 350 CD4+ T-cells per μL |
| User-friendly | 1–2 days of training, easy to use |
| Rapid and robust | < 30 minutes for diagnosis, < 1.5 hours for HIV load monitoring, minimal consumables (i.e. pipettes), shelf life > 1 year at room temperature, high throughput |
| Equipment-free | Compact, battery powered, on-site data analysis, easy disposal, easy sample handling, no cold chain |
| Deliverable | Portable, hand-held |
ASSURED, affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, rapid and robust, equipment-free and deliverable to end users; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; RNA, ribonucleic acid; US$, United States dollars; WHO, World Health Organization.