How To Treat Acute Pancreatitis Using Aluminum Foil, Gelatin, Milk Protein, A Cheap LED Light, and A Few Other Cheap Items

BY ZABIN BASHAR

In the university of Texas, a smart grad has found out how to do a fast one-hour test of acute pancreatitis using aluminum foil, gelatin, milk protein, a cheap LED light, and a few other cheap materials. All of this can be done using less than a dollar. For those who do not know, acute pancreatitis is the sudden swelling or inflammation of the panacreas. This is a serious issue which can cause pain, fever, or even death. Since it is so serious, it needs to be identified as quickly as possible. That is why Brian Zaccheo, the graduate behind this amazing device, created it. This test is much faster than any known methods. This sensor is simple enough to understand. It uses a two-step protocoal to test for the disease. In step one, a bit of blood extract is dropped onto a layer of gelatin and milk protein. If there are high levels of trypsin, an enzyme that is overabundant in the blood of patients with acute pancreatitis, the trypsin will break down the mixture the way it breaks down protein in the stomach. In step two, a drop of sodium hydroxide is added. If the trypsin levels were high enough to break down that first barrier, the sodium hydroxide can trickle down to the second barrier, a strip of aluminum foil, and start dissolving it. The foil breaks down, and with both barriers now permeable, a circuit is able to form between a magnesium anode and an iron salt at the cathode. Enough current is generated to light up a red LED. If the LED lights up within an hour, acute pancreatitis is diagnosed. In addition,


This is a great invention because it is cheap and self-powered. It is also faster than any known method. This invention will be useful for people in developing worlds, who do not have the resources for more complicated tests. In addition, it could be used when batteries are in short supply. Finally, it could be used in hospitals as a measure to test for acute pancreatitis. This ingenious solution is brilliant, a model that all future scientists should try to follow: cheap, simple, and fast.








Citations: : Dilow, Clay. "In One Hour, For Less Than a Buck, a Sensor Made of Jell-O and Foil Detects Acute Pancreatitis." Popular Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May
2011. <http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-04/less-buck-sensor-made-jell-o-and-foil-detects-acute-pancreatitis-one-hour>.