TY - JOUR
T1 - Developing the OpenFlexure Microscope towards medical use
T2 - Technical and social challenges of developing globally accessible hardware for healthcare
AU - Knapper, Joe
AU - Whiteford, Freya
AU - Rosen, Daniel
AU - Wadsworth, William
AU - Stirling, Julian
AU - Mkindi, Catherine
AU - Mduda, Joram
AU - Sanga, Valerian L.
AU - Nyakyi, Paul T.
AU - Mboa Nkoudou, Thomas Hervé
AU - Jafsia, Elisée
AU - Fadanka, Stephane
AU - Hummel, Kelsey
AU - Anandasabapathy, Sharmila
AU - Bowman, Richard
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors.
PY - 2024/6/3
Y1 - 2024/6/3
N2 - The OpenFlexure Microscope is an accessible, three-dimensional-printed robotic microscope, with sufficient image quality to resolve diagnostic features including parasites and cancerous cells. As access to lab-grade microscopes is a major challenge in global healthcare, the OpenFlexure Microscope has been developed to be manufactured, maintained and used in remote environments, supporting point-of-care diagnosis. The steps taken in transforming the hardware and software from an academic prototype towards an accepted medical device include addressing technical and social challenges, and are key for any innovation targeting improved effectiveness in low-resource healthcare. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Open, reproducible hardware for microscopy'.
AB - The OpenFlexure Microscope is an accessible, three-dimensional-printed robotic microscope, with sufficient image quality to resolve diagnostic features including parasites and cancerous cells. As access to lab-grade microscopes is a major challenge in global healthcare, the OpenFlexure Microscope has been developed to be manufactured, maintained and used in remote environments, supporting point-of-care diagnosis. The steps taken in transforming the hardware and software from an academic prototype towards an accepted medical device include addressing technical and social challenges, and are key for any innovation targeting improved effectiveness in low-resource healthcare. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Open, reproducible hardware for microscopy'.
KW - global health
KW - microscopy
KW - open source
KW - pathology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85195007863&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1098/rsta.2023.0257
DO - 10.1098/rsta.2023.0257
M3 - Review article
C2 - 38826050
AN - SCOPUS:85195007863
SN - 1364-503X
VL - 382
JO - Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
JF - Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
IS - 2274
M1 - 20230257
ER -