Now You Can Detect Disease With Your iPhone

Back to Blog  •  Posted on September 5, 2021 by admin


At any moment a smartphone can be used for any tasks such as snapping off a high-definition video, searching for a nearby restaurant reviews, texting family members, emailing work, or to find directions while behind the wheel of a vehicle. What soon may be added to this impressive list is the ability to detect a variety of disease from anywhere in the world. With backing from Mark Cuban, Max Perelman’s Biomeme hardware and software could forever change the medical industry wita the computing power of the iPhone.

Perelman began this project with the idea that there are now over 1 billion active smartphones on the planet, each with an incredible amount of processing power. In order to harness this process power for a very good cause, the Biomeme attachment and software could turn any smartphone into a mobile lab. The potential for this product is practically limitless and it could be used to save millions of lives ranging from national defense projects and disease outbreaks to on-the-spot food and allergy testing.

The primary hurdle for this technology is ensuring that it is not only as accurate as traditional lab results, but also that it is easiest enough to be used by the average smartphone owner. Perelman and his team of biologists, programmers, and other specialists are also attempting to make this an “open platform” piece of hardware and software that can be constantly tweaked or upgraded by the user in order to fit their own unique needs.

This device works by attaching directly to the back of an iPhone and then connecting with pre-loaded software. The device that is attached is called a thermal cyclinder, the same machinery that is used in larger labs but scaled down to be as mobile as possible. Small sample strips are used to collect blood, urine, or any other number of natural human byproducts and then rapidly heats them and cools them in order to get an accurate reading of their properties including any diseases housed within. This device can also integrate with the camera of the phone to pick up on subtle changes to the test material that the human eye cannot grasp.

While a few minor tests have been carried out with humans, the focus of Biomeme is currently on the food and environmental industry. As the company and its products pick up in popularity, their chance for better funding will help the device move into more and more industries.