Researchers at Columbia University have taken the inner workings of a laboratory test for sexually transmitted diseases and made them accessible for an iPhone, Voxxi reports.

The wallet-sized test attaches to the headphone jack of the smartphone and gives accurate results in 15 minutes.

The attachment contains a one-time-use cassette, which screens blood for markers of HIV and syphilis using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

ELISA tests are among the top screening methods used to detect diseases. All is necessary is a prick of blood that then enters into the cassette.

According to the paper released by the researchers responsible for the development, "This low-cost dongle replicates all mechanical, optical, and electronic functions of a laboratory-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) without requiring any stored energy; all necessary power is drawn from a smartphone."

Once the blood enters the cassette, an app on the phone tests for diseases.

The development comes after three years of research and engineering work. The device could make in-field tests for STDs much faster and more accurate in places where a second visit to a doctor is not possible.

The device may make huge developments in consumer technology and public health services.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are approximately 20 million new sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. The total number of STIs are estimated at 110 million.

In the U.S., HIV currently infects more than 1.2 million people, and roughly 1 in 7 people are unaware they are infected with the disease.

So far the dongle only tests for syphilis and HIV. The focus on testing only those two diseases right now is due to the STIs being passable from mother to child. They also present serious health complications in developing nations. The small size of the test provides accessibility in areas that may not have electricity.

The mobile phone testing provides extreme convenience for patients as well.

According to the published results, "Patient preference for the dongle was 97 percent compared to laboratory-based tests, with most pointing to the convenience of obtaining quick results with a single finger prick."

Current estimates of the price of the device are also convenient. Researchers have estimated the device at an affordable $34.

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