Developing Low-Cost Paper-Based Assays to Reduce Overtreatment at the Point of Care

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dc.contributor.advisorRichards-Kortum, Rebeccaen_US
dc.creatorPaul, Saien_US
dc.date.accessioned2022-10-12T20:14:20Zen_US
dc.date.available2023-06-01T05:01:13Zen_US
dc.date.created2022-12en_US
dc.date.issued2022-09-30en_US
dc.date.submittedDecember 2022en_US
dc.date.updated2022-10-12T20:14:20Zen_US
dc.description.abstractAccess to diagnostics is critical for successful treatment. Limitations of trained technicians, financial resources, and infrastructure often prevent the use of conventional diagnostics in low-resource areas. Without appropriate diagnostics, clinicians may choose to overtreat, which can harm patients’ health, waste precious resources, and contribute to public health issues, such as antimicrobial resistance. In this thesis, I describe the development of three low-cost paper-based assays for cervical cancer screening and neonatal sepsis. Current cervical cancer screening methods prioritize sensitivity over specificity, leading to overtreatment that can cause unnecessary pregnancy complications and physical harm in women who naturally resolve HPV infections. To address these limitations, I developed a HPV oncoprotein test to specifically detect progression to cervical cancer. As for neonatal sepsis, infants are often empirically treated in low-resource settings where infrastructure requirements, cost, and result turnaround time limit the use of blood culture. I developed two tests for neonatal sepsis to A) safely discontinue antibiotics in neonates being treated and B) to identify neonates at high risk of sepsis. These tests utilize the natural wicking properties of paper membranes to sequentially drive reagents for immunoassay binding reactions. By automating reagent delivery, these tests minimize hands-on time and result turnaround time to minimize training requirements and allow for timely decision-making. These tests will enable better diagnosis of cervical cancer and neonatal sepsis to reduce overtreatment at the point of care.en_US
dc.embargo.terms2023-06-01en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationPaul, Sai. "Developing Low-Cost Paper-Based Assays to Reduce Overtreatment at the Point of Care." (2022) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113705">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113705</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/113705en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectpaper-based diagnosticsen_US
dc.subjectlateral flow assaysen_US
dc.subjectpoint-of-care testsen_US
dc.subjectcervical canceren_US
dc.subjectHPVen_US
dc.subjectneonatal sepsisen_US
dc.subjectglobal healthen_US
dc.titleDeveloping Low-Cost Paper-Based Assays to Reduce Overtreatment at the Point of Careen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentBioengineeringen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineeringen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
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