The use of technology for the diagnosis of illnesses it is a good way to speed up the treatment processes and, consequently, to obtain a cure for some of them in a faster way. In this way, scientists found a faster way to detect the protozoan of Chagas disease: an algorithm capable of identifying the trypanosoma cruzi quickly and cheaply. Follow the text and learn more about this innovation!
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Research development
According to recently published research, a new way to detect the protozoa that cause Chagas disease has been found. What encourages the researchers is the fact that, in addition to being a quick identification, the method is low cost.
The new research developed started from the analysis of blood samples with nothing less than a cell phone camera. In this way, software downloaded onto the device makes it possible to identify the protozoa.
The study was carried out by the Evandro Chagas Institute, in Belém (PA) and was financially supported by FAPESP. Researchers from different areas gathered, from biologists, mathematicians and even computer scientists.
The results and diagnoses
After the unit's best microscopes were retired, the researchers began to look for ways to continue performing the analyses. So computer scientists began to train their computers to detect microorganisms.
Before, the diagnosis of the disease could only be carried out with the help of modern microscopes, which made the process expensive and slow, since there are few units in the country. Now, with the use of algorithms for the detection and counting of trypomastigotes, it is possible to have a quick and inexpensive diagnosis.
Furthermore, the machine can be trained to diagnose other protozoa. The accuracy estimate is high, between 87.6% and 90.5%. Quite an innovation, isn't it?