FIG 2.

Examples of various steps which must be integrated into potential POC HIV viral load tests. (A) Sample collection should be simple to perform and provide precise volume metering. (B) Membrane-based plasma separation to exclude proviral HIV DNA in PBMCs. (C) Viral lysis using a detergent to denature the viral envelope and release HIV RNA. (D) Magnetic bead-based RNA extraction to purify RNA from blood-related inhibitors and lytic agents. (E) Amplification of nucleic acids to detectable concentrations. (F) Algorithm and device to provide quantitative results and communicate results to electronic health records (EHR).