Design Continuum

• Thought Leadership

• 01. Social Impact Report
• 02. Elephant Design Parternship
• 03. Creative Capitalism

• Case Studies

• 01. Rockefeller Foundation
• 02. Mood & Anxiety Disorders Institute
• 03. Interdesign Africa
• 04. LabNow
• 05. IDDS
• 06. One Laptop per Child

LabNow

How can a revolutionary new AIDS detection technology be developed to meet the needs of millions suffering from HIV/AIDS?

The HIV/AIDS pandemic affects over 40 million people worldwide. Many of the countries most affected by this deadly disease are not only those with the fewest resources but also with geographic and cultural barriers to medical testing that often discourage patients from traveling the long distances to health clinics. In South Africa, specifically, the testing process done in labs can take several months to be completed. Patients often die before test results are obtained. LabNow—a pioneer in medical diagnostic advancements—developed a viable solution to this difficult problem: a highly mobile lab-on-chip technology that has the ability to perform an HIV test anywhere and generate results in minutes. Literally, a revolutionary concept.

Continuum partnered with LabNow to conduct cultural and contextual research for this innovative technology, to gain a deep understanding of user interaction and use scenario and to advise on electrical and mechanical engineering functionality. Working out of the back of a jeep, the team traveled with a nurse and social worker through South Africa and into people’s homes to deliver food and medicine. The team then returned with a renewed vision for what will make the system successful on the ground.

With insights gained from this field-work, Continuum designed the “reader” to read the results of the test which was an integral part of the credit card-size biochip that made it possible to obtain rapid, accurate, and cost-effective laboratory results. The LabNow system was intended as a universal sensor platform with two primary components: an automated reader and assay-specific biochips. Requiring just a single drop of whole blood and only five minutes to obtain CD4 counts so critical to treatment, the device is also highly mobile, with the ability to perform tests in any setting. This innovative technology opens the doors to providing care in remote, rural areas, where it previously would have been impossible.

LabNow continues to move forward with this technology and is on its way to revolutionizing the point-of-care system for one of the deadliest diseases in the world.

> About LabNow