A paper-based sickle-cell anemia (SCA) test is a useful low-cost tool for screening adults and children for sickle trait and disease, according to a study of patients with SCA, healthy volunteers, and postpartum women with previously unknown SCA status. Researchers found:

• In a US cohort of 55 patients with SCA and healthy volunteers, the test identified individuals whose blood contained any HbS with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity for both visual evaluation and automated analysis, and detected SCA with 93% sensitivity and 94% specificity for visual analysis and 100% sensitivity and 97% specificity for automated analysis.

• In a population of 226 postpartum women in Angola, the test identified sickle cell trait carriers with 94% sensitivity and 97% specificity using visual evaluation (no women had SCA).

• The test enables instrument- and electricity-free visual diagnostics, requires minimal training to be performed, can be completed within 30 minutes, and costs about $0.07 in test-specific consumable materials.

Citation: Piety NZ, Yang X, Kanter J, Vignes SM, George A, Shevkopylas SS. Validation of a low-cost paper-based screening test for sickle cell anemia. PLoS One. Jan 6;11(1):e0144901. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144901.