Development of an Integrated Portable Platform for Concurrent Visual Monkeypox Lesion Analysis and Accelerated DNA Sequencing for Rapid Diagnosis and Genotyping

ABSTRACT

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) poses a significant public health threat due to its potential for rapid transmission and genetic variability. Current diagnostic methods often involve time-consuming laboratory procedures, delaying timely diagnosis and genotyping. This study presents the development of an integrated, portable platform combining real-time visual analysis of Monkeypox lesions with accelerated on-site DNA sequencing for rapid diagnosis and genotyping. The platform utilizes a handheld imaging device with machine learning algorithms for lesion classification, paired with a miniaturized nanopore-based sequencer for targeted MPXV genomic analysis. Validation with clinical samples demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity: 95%, specificity: 93%) and reduced turnaround time (