Handheld device to quickly detect infectious disease viruses is available
Scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) Singapore have succeeded in creating a portable kit that can quickly detect infectious diseases within two hours.
| Dr Jackie Ying (left) and Dr Tian Wei-Cheng of IBN, with an automated virus detector. (Source: Today Singapore) |
The device can detect common infectious viruses, including H1N1 and severe acute respiratory syndrome, from swabs, blood and saliva in a short period of time.
With a compact size (17cmx14cm), this automatic virus detector will save clinical samples such as blood or tissue... into ink cartridges and then analyze. Once the analysis is complete, the machine will be connected to devices using the Android operating system, such as a mobile phone or tablet.
An accompanying app on the phone or tablet will indicate whether or not the virus is present in the sample.
IBN CEO Jackie Ying, one of the scientists who developed the device, said all virus detection processes currently take place in laboratories, where it can take between eight and 48 hours to complete the analysis.
Therefore, the successful research of a rapid virus detection kit with easy-to-use operations will help doctors detect diseases quickly and accurately in the early stages, thereby having effective treatment regimens, contributing to solving the challenges of the current outbreak of a series of infectious diseases./.
According to VNA
