Innovative Applications of Lateral Flow Assays

Listicle

Last Updated: August 22, 2022

Written by

Carl Robinson, PhD

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Lateral flow devices are most well-known for their role in facilitating the easy-to-use human pregnancy test, which has been around since the 1980s.

However, lateral flow devices have so much more to offer!

Appealing for their simple construction, portability and relatively low cost, the lateral flow device has found its place across diverse applications, including:

Helping cystic fibrosis patients breathe more easily
Detecting toxins in food
Identifying plant pathogens in Africa

Meet the Author

White letters "CR" on a navy background.

Carl Robinson, PhD

Carl attained a BSc (microbiology, 1992) and PhD (molecular microbiology of bacterial spore germination, 1996) from the University of Sheffield. He then did a three-year post-doctoral position at the University of Portsmouth investigating eukaryotic transcription factors involved in blood development. In 2000, he moved to the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, utilizing his molecular biology expertise, to identify diagnostic and vaccine targets and their translation into commercial products. The focus was primarily veterinary streptococcal pathogens, which led to the development of both commercial diagnostic tests and a licensed vaccine. Currently, Carl is a senior research associate at the University of Cambridge School of Veterinary Medicine, utilizing massively parallel sequencing of bacterial pathogens to identify potential vaccine targets to combat respiratory disease in horses.