Warning. This technology has not yet been validated, because it is not yet ready to scale.

Doctor Vida Pocket Device: Mobile virus detector for sweetpotato

Low-cost, portable, detect sweet potato viruses—anywhere!

SmartLAMP SPOT is a smartphone-operated molecular diagnostic device using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) to detect three key sweetpotato viruses: SPCSV, SPFMV, and SPLCV. It delivers laboratory-grade accuracy (100% agreement with Genie III) without requiring lab infrastructure, skilled personnel, or electricity. Each test takes ~40 minutes and can be performed on-site using a power bank.

This technology is not yet validated.

7•5

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 7/9; level of use 5/9

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

This group includes the majority of farmers, seed multipliers, and agricultural extension agents. The device empowers them with tools to detect sweetpotato viruses affordably and in real time. It supports decision-making in disease management, reduces crop loss, and enhances productivity. Adults are also the main operators of the device, which is easy to use with a smartphone, offering significant utility and economic benefit.

The poor: Positive high

Doctor Vida was explicitly evaluated for affordability and field usability in resource-limited settings. It significantly reduces testing costs (~40% per test), runs on inexpensive portable power banks, and does not require high-end lab infrastructure. These features make it accessible for low-income smallholder farmers, supporting better seed quality and disease control, which are key to income stability and resilience.

Under 18: Positive low

The technology is not directly targeted at children or youth, but it can have indirect positive effects by improving household food security and income in farming communities. Healthier crops mean more stable access to nutritious food and economic support for families, which can enhance children's wellbeing and educational opportunities.

Women: Positive high

Women are key actors in sweetpotato farming and informal seed systems, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. By enabling decentralized, on-site diagnostics, the device can empower women with accessible tools that do not require travel to central labs or specialized training. This contributes to inclusive seed health management and may help reduce gender-based barriers in agricultural innovation access.

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

The Doctor Vida device is ultra-portable, lightweight, and functions reliably under tropical and semi-tropical conditions. It is powered by commonly available mobile phone power banks, enabling operation in remote areas without a stable power grid. Its high functionality under varied conditions [between 15°C and 30°C, humidity levels between 20% and 80% (non-condensing), and maximum of altitude of use of 2,000 m] demonstrates excellent climate adaptability, particularly in regions affected by climate variability and limited infrastructure.

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

By enabling timely, accurate, and affordable virus detection at the point of need, Doctor Vida allows farmers and seed producers to manage viral diseases proactively. This reduces the risk of crop loss due to climate-sensitive disease outbreaks, enhances seed system resilience, and supports the production of healthy planting material, which is crucial under changing climatic conditions.

Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity

The device is used solely for molecular diagnostics and does not interact with the environment in a way that would directly affect plant, animal, or microbial biodiversity. It neither introduces biological agents nor alters ecosystems. Its function is purely analytical, based on non-invasive sampling.

Problem

Sweetpotato viral diseases severely impact food security and seed system health in tropical countries.
Diagnostic techniques such as PCR and ELISA require specialized labs and trained personnel, which are scarce in rural or remote areas.
Delays in virus detection hamper timely certification and disease control, limiting effective national surveillance and seed certification programs.

Solution

The DoctorVida Pocket LAMP device provides a field-deployable, portable diagnostic solution capable of detecting key sweetpotato viruses (SPCSV, SPFMV, SPLCV) using LAMP technology.
It achieved 100% concordance with the benchmark Genie III device, confirming its reliability for official virus surveillance and seed certification.
Designed for use with smartphone apps and portable power banks, it removes the need for expensive labs and complex equipment.
Enables cost-effective virus testing with about 40% reduction in per-test costs, allowing more frequent, wider geographic coverage of virus surveillance.
Supports decentralized testing close to farms or seed multiplication sites, strengthening government capacity for timely virus monitoring and rapid response.
Its smaller footprint and ease of use enable scale-up of seed health management programs even in resource-limited rural areas.

Key points to design your project

The DoctorVida Pocket LAMP device offers a reliable, portable, and cost-effective solution for rapid detection of key sweetpotato viruses directly in the field. This technology matches the accuracy of standard lab equipment with 100% agreement to the widely used Genie III device, while reducing diagnostic costs by approximately 40%.

To effectively integrate DoctorVida Pocket LAMP into your plant health initiatives, consider these key project components and prerequisites:

Assess surveillance and seed system needs: Identify priority regions and seed production sites where rapid, on-site virus testing would accelerate virus detection and seed certification.
Invest in field diagnostic infrastructure: Procure the Pocket LAMP devices along with smartphones and portable power banks. Facilitate multi-device setups controlled by smartphones to enable batch testing at site level.
Capacity building and training: Train extension workers and seed inspectors on sample collection, LAMP assay preparation, device operation, and interpretation of results to ensure reliable and standardized testing.
Establish sample collection and handling protocols: Develop guidelines for collecting fresh or properly preserved leaf samples and handling alkaline PEG buffer maceration to maintain sample integrity and test accuracy.
Data management and integration: Set up internet connectivity where possible for real-time upload of test results to cloud servers, enabling centralized monitoring and evidence-based decision-making.
Awareness and stakeholder engagement: Promote the benefits of decentralized, rapid virus detection to seed producers, farmer groups, and local authorities through outreach materials, demonstrations, and policy dialogues.

By integrating the DoctorVida Pocket LAMP technology into plant health strategies, governments can enhance early virus detection, improve seed quality assurance, reduce losses from viral diseases, and ultimately contribute to resilient sweetpotato production systems vital for nutrition and livelihoods.

2 years

warranty period

4 years

Lifespan

IP

Open source / open access

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 7 out of 9

Semi-controlled environment: prototype

Level of use 5 out of 9

Common use by projects connected to technology providers

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Tanzania	Testing ongoing	–Not tested	–Not adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid	–	–	–	–
Semiarid				–
Subhumid				–
Humid				–

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 1: no poverty

By reducing the cost of virus detection (up to 40% lower per test) and enabling early disease control in sweetpotato (a key subsistence and cash crop in low-income regions) the technology supports economic stability for smallholder farmers.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Timely and accurate virus detection helps maintain yield and crop quality, directly contributing to food security in regions where sweetpotato is a staple crop.

Goal 3: good health and well-being

Although not a human health intervention, it was adapted from a COVID-19 device and supports plant health, which indirectly supports community nutrition and well-being by preserving harvests.

Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

The technology promotes job creation in decentralized diagnostic services, especially in rural or under-resourced settings, and reduces economic losses due to viral crop diseases.

Collect Samples: Cut a 1 cm diameter disc of fresh or dried sweetpotato leaf tissue for testing.
Prepare Sample: Place the leaf disc in a plastic bag and macerate it with 1 mL of alkaline PEG buffer to extract the sap.
Mix Reagents: Combine the extracted sap with virus-specific primers and master mix in a 0.2 mL PCR tube; add hexadecane on top to prevent evaporation.
Load Device: Insert the prepared PCR tube into the DoctorVida pocket LAMP device.
Start Test: Using the DoctorVida smartphone app, set the incubation temperature to 65°C and the runtime to 40 minutes, then begin the assay.
Read Results: After the run, the app displays the virus detection outcome (positive or negative) based on real-time fluorescence amplification curves.
Save and Sync: If internet is available, test results are automatically saved and uploaded securely to the cloud for data management and further analysis.