“This is a very capable and yet cost-effective microscope, shrunk into a very small package and weighing only 46 grams,” said inventor Aydogan Ozcan from the University of California, Los Angeles.
“Our goal with this project was to develop a device that can be used to improve health outcomes in resource-limited settings. It can be used to image blood samples or other fluids, even in Third World countries,” Ozcan said.
The technology has the potential to help monitor diseases like malaria, HIV and TB in areas where there are great distances between people in need of health care and the facilities, he said, adding it can even be used to test water quality in the field following a disaster like a hurricane or earthquake.