From the ArcaMax Publishing, Science & Technology Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/technology/s-649700-211263
ZURICH, Switzerland (UPI) -- IBM scientists say they have created a
rapid, portable one-step test that can quickly diagnose many diseases.
IBM researchers said their test is based on an innovative silicon chip
that requires less sample volume, is significantly faster and easier
to use than similar existing tests. IBM said the new technology is
designed to allow physicians to react in seconds instead of minutes or
hours.
"The results are so quick and accurate that a small sample of a
patient's serum or blood could be tested immediately following a heart
attack to enable the doctor to quickly take a course of action to help
the patient survive," IBM scientists said in a statement.
The new technology was developed by IBM-Zurich, Switzerland,
scientists Luc Gervais and Emmanuel Delamarche in collaboration with
the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland. IBM said it uses
capillary forces to analyze tiny samples of serum or blood for the
presence of disease markers, which are typically proteins that can be
detected in people's blood for diagnostic purposes.
"We are giving back precious minutes to doctors so they can make
informed and accurate decisions right at the time they need them most
to save lives," Delamarche said.
The achievement is reported in the December issue of the journal Lab
on a Chip.