The idea for the suitcase lab came up during a field trip to a field station in Kedougou, Senegal in 2013 in which a mobile Recombinase Polymerase Amplifictaion laboratory was tested (see references 2, 4). It was subsequntly succesfully implemented in the Ebola Diseae outbreak in 2014-2015 (see reference 3, Special issue, and Book chapter). Since then a mobile suitcase lab network was developed: Mobile Suitcase Lab Network

  1. Euler M, Wang Y, Heidenreich D, Strohmeier O, Hakenberg S, Hufert FT, Weidmann M (2013) Development of a panel of Recombinase Polymerase Amplification assays for the detection of biothreat agents Journal of Clinical Microbiology 51(4):1110-7, https://jcm.asm.org/content/51/4/1110
  2. Abd El Wahed A, Weidmann M, Hufert FT (2015) Diagnosis-in-a-Suitcase: Development of a portable and rapid assay for the detection of the emerging avian influenza A (H7N9) virus Journal of Clinical Virology 69:16-21, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcv.2015.05.004
  3. Faye O, Faye O, Soropogui B, Patel P, Abd El Wahed A, Loucoubar C, Fall G, KioryD, Magassouba N, Keita S, Kondé MK, Diallo AA, KoivoguiL, Karlberg H, Mirazimi A, Nentwich O, Piepenburg O, Niedrig M, Weidmann M, Sall AA (2015) Development and deployment of a rapid Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Ebola virus detection assay in Guinea in 2015 Eurosurveillance 20(44) Article 5, doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2015.20.44.30053
  4. Weidmann M, Faye O, Faye O, Abd El Wahed A, Patel P, Batejat C, Manugerra JC, Adjami A, Niedrig M, Hufert FT, Sall AA (2018) Development of mobile laboratory for viral haemorrhagic fever detection in Africa The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 218(10): 1622-1630, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiy362
  5. Dieng I, Hedible BG, Diagne MM, Abd El Wahed A, Diagne CT, Fall C, Richard V, Vray M, Weidmann M, Faye O, Sall AA, Faye O (2020) Placement of portable laboratory at low resource settings reveals the circulation of Dengue virus serotype I of Asian origin in Medina Gounass, Senegal Diagnostics 10: 408. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics10060408
  6. Abd El Wahed A, Patel P, Maier M, Pietsch C, Rüster D, Böhlken-Fascher S, Kissenkötter J, Behrmann O, Frimpong M, Diagne MM, Faye M, Dia N, Kaiser M, Corman VC, Niedrig M, Landt O, Sall AA, Hufert FT, Truyen U, Liebert U, Weidmann M. (2021) Suitcase lab for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 based on recombinase polymerase amplification assay Analytical Chemistry 93 (4): 2627–2634, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.0c04779
  7. Ceruti A, Dia N, Bakarey AS, Ssekitoleko J, Andriamandimby SF, Malwengo-Kasongo P, Ahmed RHA, Kobialka RM, Heraud JM, Diagne MM, Ndione MHD, Dieng I, Faye M, Faye O, Rafisandratantsoa JT, Ravalohery JP, Raharinandrasana C, Randriambolamanantsoa TH, Razanajatovo N, Razanatovo I, Rabarison JH, Dussart P, Kyei-Tuffour L, Agbanyo , Adewumi OM, Fowotade A, Raifu MK, Okitale-Talunda P, Kashitu-Mujinga G, Mbelu-Kabongo C, Ahuka-Mundeke S, Makaka-Mutondo A, Abdalla EM, Idris SM, Elmagzoub WA, Ali RH, Nour EOM, Ebraheem RSM, Ahmed HHH, Abdalla HE, Elnegoumi M, Mukhtar I, Adam MAM, Mohamed NYI, Bedri SA, Hamdan HM, Kisekka M, Mpumwiire M, Aloyo SM Wandera JN, Agaba A, Kamulegeya R, Kiprotich H, Kateete DP, Kadetz P, Truyen U, Eltom KH, Sakuntabhai A, Okuni JB, Makiala-Mandanda S, Lacoste V, Ademowo GO, Frimpong M, Sall AA, Weidmann M, El Wahed AA (2023) Lessons from the field: A multi-country phase 2 study to evaluate the suitcase lab for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 in seven Sub-Saharan African countries Journal of Clinical Virology 162: 105422 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcv.2023.105422
  8. Kobialka RM, Ceruti A, Malwengo-Kasongo P, Okitale-Talunda P, Munyeku-Bazitama Y, Faye M, Truyen U, El Wahed AA, Weidmann M, Makiala-Mandanda S (2025) Field deployment of the mobile suitcase laboratory for rapid detection of Mpox virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease 112: 116800 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2025.116800
  9. Faye M, Makiala-Mandana S, Diagne MM, Faye O, Boehlken-Fascher S, Kissenkoetter J, Muyembe-Tamfum JJ, Ahuka-Mundeke S, Mbala-Kingebeni P, Okitale-Talunda P, Kashitu -Mujinga G, de La Vega MA, Kobinger G, Oyinloye, Elijah OO, Bakarey AS, Ademowo OG, Diagne CT, Sall AA, El Wahed AA, Faye O, Weidmann M (2025) Field evaluation of mobile molecular differential tests in DRC and in Nigeria Open Forum Infectious Diseases, ofaf630, https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaf630

Special Issue

  1. Special Issue in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 2016 1(4), Mobile laboratory experience in the Ebola outbreak in Africa, diverse concepts and common issues (eds. Weidmann M, Sall AA, Mirazimi A), https://www.oatext.com/Clinical-Microbiology-and-Infectious-Diseases-CMID.php#Archive&gsc.tab=0
    I. Faye O, Faye O, Mirazimi A, Sall AA, Weidmann M (2016) Workshop on mobile laboratories deployed in the Ebola outbreak in West-Africa 2014-2015 CMID 1(4), DOI: 10.15761/CMID.1000S1001
    II. Faye O, Fall G, Soropogui B, Koivogui L, Magassouba N, Weidmann M, Sall AA, Faye O (2016) Deployment of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar team to Guinea in the Ebola virus Disease outbreak in West-Africa 2014-2016 CMID 1(4), DOI: 10.15761/CMID.1000S1002
    III. Weidmann M, Bailey D, de Lamballerie X, DiCaro A, Doyon S, Faye O, Flevaud L, Foomsgard A, Hensley L, Koivogui L, Konneh K, Koopmans MP, Magassouba N, Mirazimi A, Adomeh DI, Jansen van Vuren P, Stroecker K, Paweska JT, Picard C, Sheeley H, Smit PW, Sall AA (2016) Experiences of outbreak laboratory management in the Ebola Disease outbreak in West-Africa 2014-2015 CMID 1(4), DOI: 10.15761/CMID.1000S1008

Book Chapter

  1. Faye O, Diagne CT, Diallo A, Meyer E, Soropogui B, Fall G, Fall C, Magassouba N, Koivogui L, Keita S, Loucoubar C, Diop M, Weidmann M, Faye O, Sall AA (2020) Molecular diagnostics of Ebola patient samples by Institut Pasteur de Dakar mobile laboratory in Guinea 2014-2016 (IntechOpen Open Access book edited by Dr. Samuel Ikwaras Okware. “Emerging Challenges in Filovirus Infections”)
    https://www.intechopen.com/online-first/molecular-diagnostics-of-ebola-patient-samples-by-institut-pasteur-de-dakar-mobile-laboratory-in-gui
IoT device for molecular testing

A low-cost up scalable molecular test platform was developed, which included insights gained with the mobile suitcase laboratory. The device uses the Multi-Spectral Digital Sensor AS7341 in a small fluorescence spectrometer which communicates via Bluetooth with a Smartphone App which passes on the raw data for outsourced computation in the cloud via the internet. This internet of things (IoT) platform allows to collect annonymised real molecular test data from users with usability and industrial up scalability at the heart of the design .

  1. Kobialka RM, Ceruti A, Roy M, Roy S, Chowdhury R, Ghosh P, Hossain F, Weidmann M, Graf E, Bueno JA, Moreno J, Truyen U, Mondal D, Chatterjee M, El Wahed AA (2024) Portable smartphone-based molecular test for rapid detection of Leishmania donovani. Infection doi.org/10.1007/s15010-024-02179-z
  2. Ghosh P, Anwar S, Siegel M, Weidmann M, Mithila NT, Cassar K, Müller SE, Luba F, Kobialka RM, Dey BP, Ceruti A, Morshed N, Arpa C, Chowdhury AA, Bhowmik B, Saleh AA, Abd El Wahed A, Mondal D, Schneitler S (2025) Study protocol for evaluating the performance of a point-of-need diagnostic algorithm for rapid detection of peripheral lymph node tuberculosis (Mobile-TB-Lab) BMJ Open 15:e097001. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/5/e097001.full
  3. Weidmann M, Alvarez JB, Zinn S, Ibragimov R, Hasani M, Graf E, Weber A, Arrey F, Szczygiel MM, Kowalewska Z, Kobialka RM, Ceruti A, El Wahed AA, Diebold M, Wahnes C (2025) Evaluation of an Internet of Things device for isothermal molecular detection Infection https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-025-02581-1