Reducing hepatitis C diagnostic disparities with a fully automated deep learning–enabled microfluidic system for HCV antigen detection
Viral hepatitis remains a major global health issue, with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) causing approximately 1 million deaths annually, primarily due to liver cancer and cirrhosis. More than 1.5 million people contract HCV each year, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). While direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are highly effective, timely and accurate HCV diagnosis remains a challenge, particularly in resource-limited settings. The current two-step HCV testing process is costly and time-intensive, often leading to patient loss before treatment. Point-of-care (POC) HCV antigen (Ag) testing offers a promising alternative, but no FDA-approved test meets the required sensitivity and specificity. To address this, we developed a fully automated, smartphone-based POC HCV Ag assay using platinum nanoparticles, deep learning image processing, and microfluidics. With an overall accuracy of 94.59%, this cost-effective, portable device has the potential to reduce HCV-related health disparities, particularly among AI/AN populations, improving accessibility and equity in care.
Authors
- Gregory P. Fricker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4836-7875)
- Younseong Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5296-044X)
- Raymond T. Chung (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7587-718X)
- Manoj Kumar Kanakasabapathy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0756-8585)
- Hui Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9422-8959)
- Qazi Noorul Mateen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2178-2104)
- Joseph Hardie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7206-6581)
- Sahar Rostamian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4182-6004)
- Hemanth Kandula (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4573-6727)
- Hadi Shafiee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2240-7648)
- Arafeh Bigdeli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6480-4660)
- Srisruthi Udayakumar
- Yuxin Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2650-8908)
- Gaojian Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3625-5849)
- Jenna Gustafson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5320-7759)
- Azim Parandakh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2407-6769)
- Prudhvi Thirumalaraju (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0573-0243)
- Sungwan Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8090-199X)
- Yixuan Song
- Giwon Cho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6331-8902)
- Jorge Mera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2865-552X)
- Manasvi Alam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5368-1060)
- Juyong Gwak
- Katherine Cilley
Institutions
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Cherokee Nation (US)
- Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2025-03-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt3803
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Hepatitis C virus research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.29