Researchers develop instantaneous blood test chip
1 min read
A low power, low cost implantable chip that can be placed under a patient's skin to instantly detect different substances in the blood has been unveiled by scientists at EPFL.
The wireless prototype - just 14mm long - is able to detect up to five proteins and organic acids, and then trasmit information back to a doctor's smartphone or computer.
The chip packs five sensors, a radio transmitter and a power delivery system. Instead of an inbuilt battery, it has a tiny electrical coil that receives power inductively from a patch located outside the body that provides 1/10W of power through the patient's skin.
Information is routed through a series of stages. The implant emits radio waves over a safe frequency. The patch collects the data and transmits it via Bluetooth to a mobile phone, which then sends them to the doctor over the cellular network.
Although still in the prototype stage, the EPFL team believes the device could make it easier for health care providers to monitor the chronically ill and provide more personalised treatment to cancer patients.
"It will allow direct and continuous monitoring based on a patient's individual tolerance, and not on age and weight charts or weekly blood tests," noted EPFL scientist Giovanni de Micheli.
The researchers hope the device will be available to patients within four years.