Our team is composed of Stamoulis Zamanis (Undergraduate student in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering), Alexandros Michopoulos (Postgraduate student in Clinical Uses of Molecular Medicine in the faculty of Medicine), Giorgos Ntakakis (Undergraduate student in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering as well as a Microsoft Student Partner in Microsoft Hellas). Mentor of our team is Professor Efthimia Petinaki (Professor of Microbiology, in Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Thessaly). From this point, the widely used mobile devices are transformed into diagnostic tools in the hands of doctors and possibly into reliable partners in the future. Our project focuses on the diagnosis of diseases based on leukocyte analysis in biological fluids, through an innovative application that:
• Detects the presence of leukocytes that are correlated with urinary tract infection in urine and meningitis in cerebrospinal fluid, in order to diagnose the most frequent and most severe infection, respectively. This is feasible through an algorithm that separates and calculates the leukocytes, enabling us to ascertain the presence and actual number of white blood cells in urine and cerebrospinal fluid. The existence of UTI and meningitis is ascertained by observing respectively > 2/field white blood cells in the urine and >10/cm3 in the CSF.
• Also focuses on the area of research, and more specifically, the identification and counting of cells used in cell cultures. The measurement of the cells on the “Neubauer” takes seconds, is reliable and economical. The application saves the investigators time and money, while an instrument that is currently on the market for automated cell count costs several thousand dollars. As a consequence :
- It makes it easier for the physician to provide the patient with an immediate, accurate and efficient diagnosis, since digital technology is linked to Medical Science. The images are in electronic form, so they can be sent anywhere in the world and make diagnosis easier and friendlier to young scientists. Experienced professionals can also benefit from it, since it can provide a way of result confirmation.
- Overall, the required analysis time is reduced and diagnosis sensitivity is increased, offering faster and more efficient treatment to the patient in any part of the world he might be. As we all know, meningitis and urinary tract infection are major problems worldwide. In Western countries, many people each year are affected by meningitis. The problem becomes bigger in the developing countries, where numbers can reach 800 patients per 100,000 people. Specifically, meningitis presents a real problem for the developing countries, where viruses such as West-Nile virus and Arbovirus are the main causes of the disease. Because of the extremely high rates of disease in some countries whole areas are defined as “meningitis belts” (e. sub Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia). Therefore, this application can provide a rapid and accurate diagnosis. Urinary tract infection, the most common infection worldwide, affects mainly young children, women and the elderly. It is usually developed where there are poor sanitary conditions and non-existent Health Services. Valid and early diagnosis for both infections could save lives and shorten the duration of hospitalization. The application is addressed to practitioners in Medicine, working in a hospital, a clinic, a diagnostic center, or a remote area such as rural and military doctors or “Doctors without borders”. Additionally, by buying a 50 dollar-lens, the practitioner has the ability to turn his smartphone or tablet into a microscope. The basic advantage is the transformation of these devices into analyzers for biological fluids without the need of a microscope. Therefore, the practitioner will have the opportunity to make a diagnosis and keep the analysis photos in electronic form so that he can go back to them if necessary, or send them anywhere in the world. This can be extremely useful, especially in remote areas, where diagnostic possibilities are limited. Other advantages are: great economic benefit for both the practitioner and the patient, reduction of the working time and convenience in transport. The establishment of this application, gradually over the next five years, could save more than 25,000 patients worldwide (the number refers to people who die from delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis). Regarding store competitors: There is nothing similar in any store so far, so we are talking about a pioneering and innovative application. What makes this application so special, is that the diagnosis is performed in real time (within a few seconds) and does not require the use of the Internet or sending data to another part of the world for the diagnosis, which may cost in human lives. Our first thought before launching it in the market is to employ it for the analysis of >10,000 samples in a large diagnostic center, in order to guarantee its validity and reliability. Additionally, any physician, without being a microbiologist, can use it as a diagnostic tool but also as a verification tool, which can greatly reduce human error. This is why, each diagnostic category will be priced at $49.99, including a sample database with the possibility of registering up to 1,000 samples, so that the application can even be purchased by a medical student. We have analyzed 23 cerebrospinal fluid samples and 37 urine samples so far. 8/23 were found positive for meningitis and 21/37 were positive for urine tract infection. The accuracy in diagnosis reaches 85%, due to the algorithm’s standard deviation that results from the fact that the algorithm is based on object detection and comparison to the sample database. The accuracy of the algorithm, however, can exceed 95% as more samples are added to the database, ie by taking anonymous data from the database of every physician that uses the application (with his consent). This data will be incorporated into the existing database of relative identification of the algorithm and its evolution will take place gradually. Our application has the Certification of the Microbiology Laboratory of the University Hospital of Larissa and the approval of external collaborators such as diagnostic centers and remote regional clinics in 2 Greek cities. Our aim is our project to find application in the diagnosis of other diseases too, giving a significant boost to the development of Medical Science through technology.
