MAY 21 - NICOLE TICEA
At just fifteen years old, Vancouver high school student Nicole Ticea developed an early-stage HIV test that’s as easy to use as an over-the-counter pregnancy test. Unlike current rapid response tests which rely on testing antibodies, Ticea utilized a technique known as isothermic nucleic acid amplification, making it possible to detect the virus as early as one week after infection. The disposable device does not rely on electricity, provides results in under one hour and should cost less than $5.00 to produce.
“Nicole’s work really made me realize what a big difference a fast easy-to-administer test for early stage HIV infection could make in prolonging, if not saving, thousands of lives in developing countries,” said Gursev Anmole, the graduate student mentor who assisted Nicole on her research at Simon Fraser University.
Ticea was recently awarded the 2015 Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award for her groundbreaking work. After starting her own company, she received a $100,000 grant to continue developing this technology in the hopes of bringing it to low-income communities in need.
blondebombshellescort
This is amazing!
If you didn’t know, HIV is extremely hard to catch early on. Initially, an infected person would display flu-like symptoms for a short time and then be completely asymptomatic for months while the virus reproduces inside their body. This means that infected people most often will go on without treatment and unknowingly infect others. Being able to catch HIV within one week of transmission is HUGE. It means higher survival rate, less transmission, increased care affordability, and less fatalities. This girl is, without a doubt, going to save millions of lives and I am so so so proud.
Oh my God
wow, fucking awesome.
