On the first day of biology class this semester, Emory freshmen Brian Goldstone and Rostam Zafari received a challenge from their professor: develop an experimental test for the Ebola virus for extra credit on a quiz.
Goldstone and Zafari took the challenge to heart and developed the idea for REDS: Rapid Ebola Detection Strips.
The duo started an Indiegogo page to fundraise for their project, which has raised more than $6,000 since it was launched on Sept. 12.
The two dedicated the project to Zafari's friend, Abraham Pishevar, a student at Case Western Reserve University who died in a plane crash on Aug. 25.
Goldstone and Zafari said REDS is designed to test for Ebola in a quicker, cheaper and more portable way than existing methods.
"If we can detect earlier into the incubation period, we can put a significant dent in the spread of the disease," Goldstone said.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), current tests available to diagnose Ebola in patients include complete blood counts, electrolyte tests and blood tests such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Many of these methods use machinery that require electricity, thus confining these tests to formal health care settings.
"[REDS] would allow us to take health care workers to the field in a village setting and treat it before it spreads and kills more people," Zafari said.
Goldstone and Zafari, who are both residents in the social enterprise-themed Raoul Hall, are currently working with mentors and researchers in Emory laboratories to develop a working prototype.
They said they hope to have the prototype ready by the end of October and to mass-produce the system by the beginning of next year.
Raj Ramakrishnan, a first-year MBA candidate at the Goizueta Business School and a fellow-in-residence in the College of Arts and Sciences, mentors students interested in social enterprise.
Ramakrishnan said he has been advising Goldstone and Zafari on financing their project.
"Rostam and Brian came to me with their idea, and it was really, really innovative," Ramakrishnan said. "It's humbling to have an idea that's so salient, that we're able to make some small contribution toward raising awareness [and] that individuals can try and make an impact in that positive direction."
Rachelle Spell, a senior lecturer in the Biology department as well as Goldstone and Zafari's professor, said that although she challenged her students to come up with a new idea for an Ebola test, she didn't expect anyone to actually develop a physical test.
"They surprised me a couple of days after the quiz," Spell said. "But they have a long way to go. To me, as long as they're thinking about the biology and thinking about what they can do with the biology, that's a positive thing."
Spell added that she worried that both students might become overwhelmed with the project.
"I just hope they are able to balance everything and have fun at the same time," she said.
Goldstone said that although undertaking this project in the first few weeks of school has been difficult, they're excited about what they're doing.
"It's been a challenge," Goldstone said. "Social life's taken a bit of a hit. But we're still enjoying being freshmen – we still love Emory. A lot of caffeine but it's worth it."
Zafari agreed.
"A lot of coffee," Zafari said. "We knew how much work this project was when we took it on. Even though we're tired, we're always passionate and we always love doing what we do."
–By Harmeet Kaur, Multimedia Editor
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