Image-based disease diagnostics using a mobile device

#This description generally relates to disease diagnostics, and particularly to a portable system to perform image-based disease diagnostic tests.

#Though many disease diagnostic tests are performed in laboratory settings using benchtop equipment, advances in medical technologies such as microfluidics have enabled users to perform diagnostic tests using smaller-sized and more portable equipment. For example, the hardware required to complete an immunoassay for a diagnostic test can be fit into a handheld device. However, in conventional test processes, trained personnel such as a nurse, physician, or lab technician must analyze the handheld device to determine the test result. Thus, a patient would have to visit a facility such as a healthcare clinic, or the trained personnel would have to visit the patient at the patient's home, for example. Alternatively, the patient can collect a biological sample of the patient (such as a mouth or nostril swab) at the patient's home and mail the biological sample to a laboratory to perform the immunoassay using the biological sample.

#The above examples may not provide a quick test result because these processes require travel of person(s) or transportation of some test material. Additionally, in remote areas that have scarce medical resources and personnel, it is especially challenging to perform diagnostic tests using conventional test processes. Developments in telecommunications have helped spur the growth of telemedicine technologies that provide remote diagnosis of patients. However, it is still challenging to perform a point-of-care diagnostic test using a reliable and portable end-to-end system that patients can complete in the comfort of their homes.

#Figure (FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system environment for performing disease diagnostic tests according to one embodiment.

#FIG. 2A is a diagram of an optical property modifying device for use with a mobile device according to one embodiment.

#FIG. 2B is a diagram of another optical property modifying device for use with a mobile device according to one embodiment.

#The figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.

#FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system environment for performing disease diagnostic tests according to one embodiment. The system environment includes a diagnostic server 150, a mobile device 110, an optical property modifying device 120, and one or more health care providers 130. The diagnostic server 150, mobile device 110, and health care providers 130 can be connected to each other via a network 140. In other embodiments, different and/or additional entities can be included in the system environment. The functions performed by the various entities of FIG. 1 may vary in different embodiments.

#The mobile device 110 is an electronic device that includes a diagnostic system 100 to determine test results for disease diagnostic tests performed by users using at least the mobile device 110 (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, laptop computer, etc.) and optical property modifying device 120. Since the mobile device 110 and optical property modifying device 120 are portable, users can perform disease diagnostic tests at the patient's home or any other suitable location outside of health care facilities such as hospitals or central labs for disease diagnostic tests. The diagnostic server 150 is a computer server that can perform some or all functionality of the diagnostic system 100 in some embodiments.