Team:DTU-Denmark/Software
The SV Detector App
The SV Detector app was developed to work with the spectrophotometer. The purpose of the spectrophotometer was to quantify the results by creating a controlled uniform environment for every test. The app is the spectrophotometer’s brain – the idea was to create a simple app so that even operators with little specialized knowledge of snake venom could still utilise it. The app is compatible with Android 5.0 meaning that it can run on hardware from 2014 and up.
The SV Detector allows the operator to simply test the incubated samples for the relative amount of colour that is present in every sample.
The workflow is simple. The app is launched and the operator selects start measuring when ready. The next screen presented shows the instructions. These are extremely simple and numbered to increase the readability as well as eliminate misunderstanding.
The instructions are also simplified by calling the three different substrates as 1, 2, and 3. These substrates were chosen from the peptide screening as they enable us to use logic in order to distinguish between the three chosen snakes. One substrate will react with the three venoms, and the other two will react with two different ones. Thus if the first substrate reacts and the remaining two do not, one can exclude all but the Naja nigricollis. If either of the other substrates react it is respectively either Bitis arietans or Bitis gabonica.
Once the operator selects the continue button the app launches the camera of the operator’s phone. The default camera interface was used to increase user-friendliness thus ensuring that the operator does not have to acquaint themselves with a new interface.
The pictures are analysed based on RGB histograms. The difference in colours and similarities measures are accounted for and is how either the match or no match is ensured.
The last screen displays the results. We aimed to make the results screen as simple as possible. The operator can instantly see the detected venom, if there is one. An elaborated 1x3 matrix-table shows the operator the substrates and the relative amount of color, if they are interested in the results or wish to double check them. The only other option apart from closing results is clicking to go to WHO’s venomous snakes and antivenoms search interface. This was advised by Gernot J. Abel, the science manager at Novozymes Discovery and UNICEF team representative.
The database’s search is useful in exploring the global distributions of venomous snake species. The operator can access information on antivenom products and their manufacturers. The operator can search by region, subregion, country, territory or other geographical areas. It is also possible to search for a specific snake, like the Naja nigricollis and go directly to that entry. The database also has Information on antivenoms and their manufacturers [1].
References
[1] WHO (2017). Venomous snakes distribution and species risk categories
