# A low-cost color sensor device for rapid detection of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC)

## TL;DR

This paper introduces Ercose, a low-cost color sensor device for detecting high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma by identifying color changes from nucleic acid amplification reactions.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is a cost-effective and user-friendly color sensor device that enables rapid detection of HGSOC without compromising accuracy.

## Key findings

- The Ercose device uses a colorimetric method to detect inorganic phosphate from nucleic acid amplification, resulting in a green color change.
- The device is simple, quick, and suitable for real-world applications where traditional spectrophotometers are impractical.
- Arduino Nano microcontroller and RGB LEDs enable accurate color detection and data transmission to a GUI.

## Abstract

A sensitive nucleic acid detection approach based on tracing the inorganic phosphate (Pi) created during amplification by means of the colorimetric method has been presented. This method relies on nucleic acid amplification. Pyrophosphate (PPi), a result of the nucleic acid polymerization reaction, was hydrolyzed into inorganic phosphate (Pi) by the addition of inorganic pyrophosphatase. To create the phosphomolybdate precipitate, the obtained Pi could react with acid molybdate. The color of amplified sample was changed into green. Using high grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) as an example, this tactic’s usefulness was proven. Here, describe the Ercose (Eraser + Color Sensor) device proof-of-concept, which uses a straightforward strategy without sacrificing the accuracy of the outcomes. Ercose is a simple, quick, weightless and inexpensive. A low-cost, user-friendly color sensor is suggested for development in this study to identify the hue of the objects. The test objects were progressively illuminated by the sensor’s RGB light emitting diodes, which served as the light sources. The analogue voltage data were converted to digital form and serially delivered to a graphical user interface (GUI). To determine the test objects colors, the digitized voltage values were employed (i.e., RGB values). The microcontroller arduino nano was managed by the GUI, which also showed the needed color values. The Ercose device can be used in a variety of real-world scenarios where standard spectrophotometer devices are not practical.