Our Research
The DIY Diagnostics stream aims to produce simple diagnostics that can be used by anyone with little or no medical or scientific training. Our inspiration is the home pregnancy test. We do not adhere to any particular technology platforms and attempt to create diagnostics using any combination of molecular biology, chemistry, electronics, and computer programming.
Our Strategy
The DIY diagnostic stream emphasizes the iterative nature of prototype development along with the power of teamwork to solve difficult problems. We believe that all students join the stream with unique backgrounds and skill sets that are assets to the research team. DIY nurtures these individual skill sets both to build student confidence and to foster a more creative environment.
DIY Researchers focus on:
- developing a project from concept to proof-of-concept
- molecular diagnostics
- app development
Our Impact
Recently the DIY research efforts have pivoted from rapid diagnostics to an emphasis on frugal (inexpensive) diagnostic products. We hope to mitigate the economic, social, and racial disparities in the diagnostic health space due to cost and access issues.
Our Team
Timothy Riedel
- Director of UT Inventors Program
- Freshman Research Initiative
- College of Natural Sciences
Andrew Ellington
- Professor
- Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Regents Chair in Molecular Biology
- Wilson M. and Kathryn Fraser Research Professorship in Biochemistry
- Molecular Biosciences
Resources
Course Credit
Research Outcomes
- Bhadra, S., Riedel, T. E., Lakhotia, S.*, Tran, N. D.*, & Ellington, A. D. (2021). High-surety isothermal amplification and detection of SARS-CoV-2. Msphere, 6(3), e00911-20.
- Dossani H., Kan A., Kuttanna N., Improved Water Bath Floats for Photographing LAMP Incubations.
*undergraduate researcher