From Tech Insider - meet 16 year old Oliva Hallisey:
This 16-year-old won the Google Science Fair with a way to detect Ebola
Oliva Hallisey, a 16-year-old from the United States, won the 2015 Google Science Fair with her project to develop a fast, cheap, and stable test for the Ebola virus, which she says gives easy-to-read results in less than 30 minutes — potentially before someone is even showing symptoms.
According to her project description:
Current Ebola detection methods are complex, expensive, require unbroken refrigeration from manufacture to use and up to 12 hours from testing to confirmed diagnosis ... The [test] provides rapid, inexpensive, accurate detection of Ebola viral antigens based on color change within 30 minutes in individuals prior to their becoming symptomatic and infectious.
Much more at the site - the detector is printed onto a piece of cardstock and is shelf-stable - no refrigeration needed. You activate the test by adding three seperate small doses of water to develop and stop the detection reaction.
And, there is this little side benefit:
Hallisey, who is currently entering her junior year at Greenwich High School in Connecticut, says her test could also be adapted to detect HIV, Dengue and Yellow fever viruses, Lyme disease, and even certain cancers.
This is serious work from someone who is wise beyond their time - her technique for stabilizing the reagents is pure brilliance in its simplicity (silk fibers).
