In regions where accessing a clinic for routine blood tests is a financial or logistical burden, HIV patients now have the opportunity to collect and ship a drop of their blood using paper-based devices. These devices absorb the sample and store it for analysis at distant laboratories. Although this technology aids in monitoring adherence to medication regimens and disease progression, currently available devices do not control how much blood they gather, which can result in inaccurate measurements of an individual’s infection status.
Recognizing this limitation, Charlie Mace, an associate professor at Tufts University’s Department of Chemistry, along with postdoctoral scholar Giorgio Morbioli and their colleagues have developed a paper device featuring wax-printed patterns. These designs create precise channels and collection points, ensuring consistent blood volume for each test. The researchers tested this new plasma spot card in a clinical trial involving 75 South African patients with HIV.
In the study, Mace’s team found that their device provided more accurate measurements of an individual’s HIV infection level compared to the industry gold standard, the Roche plasma spot card (90.5% vs. 82.7%), and was also better at detecting drug-resistant viral mutations (63% vs. 42%). These findings could influence physicians’ decisions regarding medication continuation or switching.
The researchers published their results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on February 18, further highlighting their device’s potential impact. As Charlie Mace explains: “Our intuition suggested that since paper has a defined saturation volume for a given area, by designing spots with specific sizes and shapes, we could predict how much plasma they collect. Additionally, our cards needed to fit into existing workflows to avoid resistance during adoption.”
To conduct the pilot study, Mace collaborated with HIV experts Michael Jordan and Alice Tang at Tufts University School of Medicine and partnered with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Johannesburg, South Africa. This collaboration allowed them to test their devices under real-world conditions within an active clinical setting.
Mace is now exploring opportunities to integrate this technology into routine practice through partnerships both domestically and internationally. His team continues to refine the device’s accuracy and capabilities while working towards commercialization. As Mace emphasizes: “We deliberately focus on developing technologies that are simple, not just in terms of their design but also in operation. While these constraints can complicate research, we firmly believe that simplicity should lead to accessibility and affordability—both critical elements needed for effective healthcare.”
