Labanywhere: single-pouch field DNA/RNA detection platform for agricultural pathogens

Overview

LabAnywhere is an in-the-field molecular diagnostic platform designed to detect pathogens in agricultural and environmental samples without the need for laboratory infrastructure. The system combines a single-use, vacuum-packed plastic pouch pre-loaded with lyophilized reagents with a compact, battery-powered handheld reader. Together, these components enable lysis, purification, and amplification of unprocessed samples, delivering results in as little as 7 to 15 minutes onsite. By eliminating sample transport, Eppendorf tubes, pipetting, and specialized technicians, LabAnywhere addresses key bottlenecks in agricultural disease management and offers a practical, low-touch alternative to traditional lab-based PCR methods.

Technical specifications

Pouch design:

• Multi-layer vacuum-sealed plastic pouch with novel microchannels, reagent wells, and a reaction chamber
• Pre-loaded with lyophilized reagents including master mix, loop primers, target primers, cryoprotectant, surfactants, and oligo-probe fluorophores
• Gravity-driven flow managed through simple physical methods, requiring no liquid handling
• Single frangible seal guides sample movement through assay stages
• Manufactured from four dye-cut plastic layers encapsulated within a vacuum seal
• Post-reaction fluids absorbed into stable form within the pouch

Reader specifications:

• Handheld, battery-powered device approximately the size of a coffee cup
• Provides precise heating and cooling to pouch reaction chambers
• Enables convective mixing, isothermal or thermal-cycled amplification, and real-time fluorescence detection
• Five functional prototypes built using 3D-printed parts and in-house designed PCBs
• Operated by custom in-house software

Validated performance:

• 240 positive lab trials using LAMP primers for Staphylococcus aureus in milk, confirmed by gel electrophoresis
• Detection of lambda phage in lysed samples within 7 minutes
• Compatible with both isothermal (LAMP) and thermal-cycled (PCR) assays

Technology readiness level

LabAnywhere is currently at a mid-to-late prototype stage. Five functional reader prototypes have been built and lab-tested, and gravity-flow pouch designs have been validated through video microscopy, flow simulation, and thermal modelling. The next phase of development transitions from 3D-printed prototypes to multi-layer dye-cut plastic pouches, with planned field testing on plant samples. The platform is suited for veterinary, livestock, crop health, and broader agricultural pathogen monitoring applications, with potential adaptability to human health diagnostics.