Home Advertise Magazine Events NETV Directory
  


IBM chip enhances medical diagnostic testing
18/11/2009 Email to a friend
 
Scientists at IBM claim to have developed an innovation that can test for diseases so quickly, that a small sample of a patient's blood could be tested immediately following a heart attack.

The chip in this photo measures 1 x 5cmAccording to IBM, the one step point of care diagnostic test is based on an innovative silicon chip that requires less sample volume, is significantly faster, portable, easy to use and can test for many diseases – including cardiovascular disease, one of the world's leading causes of death.

The diagnostic test uses capillary forces – the tendency of a liquid to rise in narrow tubes or to be drawn into small openings. Tiny samples of serum or blood are then analysed for the presence of disease markers. IBM scientists have encoded the forces of capillary forces in a microfluidic chip made of a silicon compound, which measures 1 x 5cm. The chip contains sets of micrometre wide channels where the test sample flows through in approximately 15 seconds – several times faster than traditional tests. The filling speed can be adjusted to several minutes when the chip requires additional time to read more complex disease markers.

Emmanuel Delamarche, scientist at IBM Research, Zurich, said: "This point of care test has achieved the trifecta for medical staff in that it is portable, fast and requires a very small volume of sample. 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."



 
Author
Chris Shaw
 
 
Supporting Information
http://www.ibm.com
 
This material is protected by Findlay Media copyright 2010.
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.
 
Bookmark this article using:
 
Del.icio.us digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon
 
 
Your comments / feedback
Do you have any comments or feedback on this article? Please contact us by filling in the form below.
NameHide name
Your Email Address
Comments
Send
We may edit your comments and not all entries will be published.
Terms and Conditions

To comment on news stories or blogs you need to complete our 60 second registration process. Once completed this then allows you to download any and all white papers, register for e-zines and access our detailed supplier directory for FREE.

If you are all ready a registered user then enter your e-mail address and login.

You will need to have logged in prior to entering your comments in the boxes provided.

Please enter your email address to login and gain free access to this site.
 
If you are using this site for the first time registration is quick and completely free.
 
Register Now - Register Now


Email Address :  

Remember Me: - If this box is ticked you will be automatically logged in when you return.

Important: To protect your privacy, do not select 'Remember Me' if other users have access to the computer you are using.

 
Related News
BEEAs 2010 shortlist announced
 
GlobalFoundries aims for high volume 28nm manufacturing
 
TI completes acquisition of Spansion Japan wafer fab facility
 
Intel buys Infineon’s wireless business for $1.4bn
 
TSB makes £18million available for innovative technologies
 
 
Related Technology
Operating under more pressure: Embedded microcontrollers
 
A tale of two cities - UK Electronics England
 
Flower of Scotland - UK Electronics Scotland
 
In good shape - UK Electronics Overview
 
Making a difference - UK Electronics Skills
 
 
Related Products
Sponsored by RS Components: DesignSpark PCB, a free professional standard PCB design software tool
 
PCIe Medical LAN Card
 
Sponsored by OKW: Ergonomic sloping front aluminium enclosures
 
Digital to analogue converters
 
COM Express small form factor module based on latest Intel Core i7 processor
 
 
Related Events
EMCUK
 
UKEA Anti Counterfeiting Forum