Vaginal self-swab device that minimizes potential contamination during STI testing and encourages routine testing by way of increased privacy and ease of procedure.

Project Overview

Current screening procedures for STIs include urine tests, culture plates, and blood antibody tests. These existing tests have been critiqued for being privacy-violating, requiring too many resources, and lacking in accuracy as these procedures either require a physician to collect a sample or require refrigeration, incubation, liquid buffer, etc. The patient-provided urine test avoids privacy violations but carries the risk of spillage during transport. An up-and-coming procedure--known as Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs) allows the patient to conduct a vaginal self-swab, doesn't require refrigeration, and can be stored dry. The team will improve on existing self-swab designs, with the goal of reducing the risk of contamination during sample collection, and increasing ease of collection for the patient.

Team Picture

File

• PDS (September 22, 2023)

Contact Information

Team Members

• Jenna Sorenson - Co-Team Leader
• Katherine Kafkis - Co-Team Leader
• Sara Morehouse - Communicator
• Kaiya Merritt - BSAC
• Mia LaRico - BWIG
• Morgan Kopidlansky - BPAG

Advisor and Client

• Prof. Pamela Kreeger - Advisor
• Dr. Jean Riquelme - Client