Germany successfully manufactures portable specimen testing device

Tiny testing devices could be used to detect infectious diseases in public places like train stations...

Scientists at the Institute of Information Technology in Freiburg (Germany) have successfully developed a small, portable testing device that saves time and effort in diagnosing diseases.

The new device, which is as small as a CD, can perform the same tests as in a lab and give results much faster. Physicist Daniel Mark explains how the device works: “The doctor will take a sample from the patient’s body, then put it into this device. About 2 hours later, the doctor will receive information about the pathogens and give appropriate treatment.”

Accordingly, a DNA sample taken from the patient's blood will be analyzed inside the testing device. If the gene sample is found to match a certain pathogen, a sign indicating the disease will automatically appear on the device's screen.

According to experts, the small testing device could be used to detect infectious diseases in public places such as train stations and airports or to check the safety of food. In the future, food safety issues will increasingly require more complex testing procedures and require analysts to understand a large number of parameters. Therefore, the new testing technique can standardize this process, said researcher Wolfgang Hauser.

Perhaps the greatest potential for small testing devices is in hospitals, where once doctors have full information about the causative agent, they can make accurate decisions in the shortest possible time, thereby saving more patients./.

According to VOV.VN