The Hepatitis B on-site diagnosis helps trace the effects of Hepatitis B easy and quick.    

Hepatitis B is an inflammation in the liver caused by the Hepatitis B (HBV) virus which causes damage to liver cells and has a close link to liver cancer.

The Hepatitis B (HBV) virus has infected a third of the world's population. To date, about 350 million people are chronically infected by HBV, which puts them at constant risk of liver health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. 

90% of these chronic carriers are unaware of their liver health condition, which contributes significantly to the deaths of millions reported each year due to hepatitis B and patients are often reluctant to visit diagnostic laboratories or hospitals for examination due to tedious processes and costly charges. 

Some of those infected with hepatitis B will develop chronic infections that can lead to complications such as liver failure, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer which can be the cause of death.

As one of the efforts to detect the disease more quickly, UPM researchers from the faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science developed a mobile device technology capable of detecting anti-HBV antibodies in infected patients thus providing faster results than conventional detection methods. 

With this  2-in-1 strip, researchers were able to identify a large number of these undiagnosed individuals thus proactive steps can be taken to connect patients with healthcare and establish early antiviral treatments. 

With this technology, everyone will be able to do a diagnosis of hepatitis B on their own.

Researcher

Prof. Dr. Tan Wen Siang 

Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences 

wstan@upm.edu.my

Date of Input: 21/09/2022 | Updated: 23/09/2022 | aishah