V-Chip: New device for biomarker testing

Biomarker testing - looking for protein markers of disease in blood or urine samples - is normally done in labs with expensive instruments. But a new device, made by scientists in Texas, could take some tests out of the lab and closer to patients. The V-Chip, as it's called, is cheap, portable, and relatively easy to use. The researchers hope that one day, it'll mean tests can be done at the bedside or even in patients' homes. Charlotte Stoddart took the V-Chip to a lab in London where they develop tests for Great Ormond Street Hospital and Britain's National Health Service.

Read the original research paper: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/...

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  Science & Technology

[10mintwo]

Well, reducing the cost of a test by 3 orders of magnitude isn't just about being cheap, it's about expanding the availability of highly refined diagnostic techniques to hundreds of millions of people who otherwise wouldn't have access to the the test.

[clearmenser]

What a lovely invention. I could totally see that being mass produced, even through rapid prototyping one day, so it can reach to the furthest outposts of humanity to help save lives.

[vsktube]

Chinese and their frugal science !!! They don't approve expensive plans, they always try to be damn cheap.