Scientists at Yale University are in the process of creating a portable biomarker detector that will be able to identify signs of illness from a sample of blood within 20 minutes. The new device it expected to by about the size of a paperback book and is said to be reminiscent of our favorite SciFi device, the tricorder.

The sensor, which uses nanotechnology, is so accurate that it could pick up a grain of salt in a swimming pool, claim the researchers.

“Doctors could have these small, portable devices in their offices and get nearly instant readings,” said Dr Tarek Fahmy a biomedical engineer at Yale University.

“They could also carry them into the field and test patients on site.”

Current tests for cancer and heart disease are subjective, expensive and labour intensive. – TG
They involve taking a blood sample, sending it to a laboratory, using a centrifuge to separate the different components, isolating the plasma and putting it through an hours-long chemical analysis.

The new device could also be used to test for a wide range of diseases at the same time, from ovarian cancer to cardiovascular disease, Professor Mark Reed co-author said.

The great advantage of the new machine is that it has a built in filter, to remove chemicals that would otherwise distort the readings. (source The Nation)

Read the full article here.

Image credit Trekcore.com