Detecting diseases in the
palm of your hand
[Date: 2008-07-30]
Source of Article: http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=29713
Portable laboratories the size of your palm, capable of analysing
food for diseases such as salmonella, no longer belong in the realms of science
fiction. A team of European researchers are on the fast track to producing just
such a lab. OptoLabCard, a project funded by the EU
to the tune of over €3 million, offers to not only protect the health and
well-being of millions of Europeans but also to save hundreds of millions of euros spent treating gastrointestinal infections.
Currently there is no simple and easy way to detect infectious bacteria at
either farms or in the food processing and distribution plants. This even
extends to some of the most commonly occurring food-borne diseases such as
campylobacter and salmonella. For a simple test to take place, samples have to
be taken and sent to labs, a process that can take hours or days.
OptoLabCard project however has created one of only
two prototype systems in the world that prepares samples and performs DNA tests
on bacteria in a portable, easy-to-use and cost-effective chip. This innovative
prototype promises to carry out tests in as little as half an hour. Such an
impressive turnaround time combined with low costs would drastically improve
the safety of food.
The idea of a small handheld device capable of performing tests usually carried
out in a full-sized laboratory has been around for a long time. It has only
been since the arrival of microelectromechanical
systems (mems) technology that it is possible to put
sensors, fluid channels and optical components into a small space.
Essentially the prototype device consists of a handheld base unit and a
cartridge or 'labcard' that will carry out a real
time polymerase chain reaction automatically, from sample preparation to an
optical detection. The labcard is made from a light
sensitive material called SU-8, and contains all the disposable components,
whereas the base unit includes all the standard electronics and optics.
The range of applications of such a device is virtually limitless and can be
applied to areas outside of food safety and the detection of salmonella or
campylobacter. It can be used to detect other infectious diseases, flu in
humans, tuberculosis, hepatitis, AIDS, and even to detect cancer in clinical
samples. Their prototype could also be used to develop portable devices that
can identify pathogens and pollution in water supplies.
What sets the OptoLabCard prototype apart from other
devices is its cost-effectiveness. The use of a single material, SU-8, in the
manufacture of most of its components makes the chips simpler and cheaper to
produce.
The chip itself is disposable, while a reader or base unit contains all the
electronics and optics. Meanwhile, incorporating sample preparation into the
chip means that users can effectively replicate laboratory processes out in the
field.
The OptoLabCard consortium consists of nine
Government Research Institutions (RES), Industrial companies (
A spin-off company, called microLIQUID has been set
up to commercialise components built with SU-8, while
several of the project partners have recently launched a new project, called LabOnFoil, in which they will seek to create sample
processing and detection chips on foils instead of traditional silicon wafers.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.optolabcard.com/
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