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On-Chip Diagnostics

Fluorescence Microscopy on a Chip – No Lenses Required

September 25, 2017

A diagram of the on-chip fluorescence imaging platform showing how the ultra-thin glass bottom microfluidic chip sits on top of the contact CMOS fluorescence imager Fluorescence microscopy gives researchers incredible power to illuminate [more...]

‘Lab on a Chip’ Could Monitor Exposure to Dangerous Molecules

August 1, 2017

An artists’ rendition of microparticles flowing through a channel and passing through electric fields, where they are detected electronically and barcode-scanned (Photo: Ella Marushchenko and Alexander Tokarev/Ella Maru Studios) [more...]

Better and Cheaper Healthcare with Dry Blood Samples

May 31, 2017

A drop of blood on filter paper for future diagnostics. (Image Credit: Johan Björkesten) Dried blood on filter paper stored for future diagnostic purposes – considerably easier than the present-day, resource-consuming method using [more...]

Machine Learning Enhances Smartphone Attachment for Disease Detection

April 9, 2017

A prototype of the computational sensor designed by machine learning. (Image credit: Aydogan Ozcan/UCLA) A team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has applied machine learning to a mobile device [more...]

Microfluidic Device Helps to Detect Myeloma Cells

April 4, 2017

Engineers at MIT have devised a microfluidic technique to capture and count circulating plasma cells from small samples of blood. The technique, which relies on conventional blood draws, may provide patients with a less painful test for [more...]

A Rapid, Automated and Inexpensive Fertility Test for Men

March 27, 2017

Fertilex is an inexpensive smartphone attachment that quickly and accurately evaluates semen samples for fertility testing. (Image Credit: M.K. Kanakasabapathy et al., Science Translational Medicine (2017)) A new device that attaches to a [more...]

New Lab-on-a-Chip Platform Seeks to Improve Pathogen Detection

March 27, 2017

Nuclear amplification testing is commonly used for pathogen detection; however, the process is currently manually intensive and complex, and requires dedicated equipment. This prevents its use in some settings, and pathogen detection in [more...]

UCLA Researchers Make DNA Detection Portable, Affordable Using Cell Phones

March 27, 2017

The combined dye/cellphone reader system achieved comparable results to equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars more (Image Credit: Dino Di Carlo/UCLA) Researchers at UCLA have developed an improved method to detect the presence [more...]

5D Protein Fingerprinting Could Give Insights into Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s

January 22, 2017

This illustration depicts the device used to measure individual protein. The inset shows proteins (in red) flowing through a nanopore. (Credit: University of Michigan) In research that could one day lead to advances against [more...]

Portable Microscope Could Speed Sepsis Detection

September 5, 2016

A portable microscope, developed as part of a scalable, point-of-care, label-free microarray platform, may offer more rapid detection of sepsis and other infections caused by bacteria, ultimately saving millions of lives each year. The [more...]

NASA’s DNA Sequencing in Space is a Success, UCSF Researchers Confirm

September 2, 2016

NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins sequenced DNA in space for the first time ever for the Biomolecule Sequencer investigation, using the MinION sequencing device (Image credit: NANA) Using a hand-held, USB-powered sequencing device called the [more...]

Cellphone-sized device quickly detects the Ebola Virus

May 9, 2016

Scientists have developed a handheld device that can detect Ebola RNA in less than 40 minutes (Image Credit: American Chemical Society) The worst of the recent Ebola epidemic is over, but the threat of future outbreaks lingers. [more...]

On-the-spot Diagnosis of Certain Cancers With Sensitive Bionsensor

March 21, 2016

The two arms of the interferometer used to detect microRNAs in urine samples. The top one is the reference arm while the bottom one is the sensing arm ( Image Credit: A Star) MicroRNAs are a newly discovered class of short (about 19 to [more...]

A Portable Device For Rapid And Highly Sensitive Diagnostics

March 3, 2016

A portable and low-cost diagnostic device has been developed at EPFL. This microfluidic tool, which has been tested with Ebola, requires no bulky equipment. It is thus ideally suited for use in remote regions. When remote regions with [more...]

NOWDiagnostics Is Using Quick Fingertip-prick Blood Testing To Identify Disease

January 7, 2016

Microfluidic cartridge (Image Credit: NOWDiagnostics) A focus on relatively painless, quick diagnostic testing didn’t just bring Theranos to the forefront (despite its recent hurdles). Companies like NOWDiagnostics, established in the [more...]

Low Cost Paper Diagnostics Allows One Minute Blood Typing

December 10, 2015

GLIF enables quick and easy blood typing, without the need for laboratory equipment, expertise or interpretation of results. A collaboration between Monash University and Haemokinesis Pty Ltd has resulted in a momentous breakthrough in [more...]

One-Step Tumor Detection on a Chip

December 10, 2015

The molecule binds to the overexpressed cancer receptors on the cells. Cells show distinct behavior when bound to the surface. This behavior is quantified with image processing. (Credit: TECHNOLOGY) A team of researchers from the [more...]

Researchers Creating Rapid Diagnostic Test For Blood Infections

October 15, 2015

Dr. Hawkins is working on developing tiny microchips like this for the project (Image Credit: BYU) BYU is a major part of a collaborative team which has just kicked off a massive multidisciplinary effort to combat a threat to global [more...]

New On-chip Optical Sensing Technique Used to Detect Multiple Flu Strains

October 9, 2015

A schematic view shows the optical waveguide intersecting a fluidic microchannel containing target particles. Targets are optically excited as they flow past well-defined excitation spots created by multi-mode interference; fluorescence is [more...]

Hybrid Chip Enables Reliable Direct Detection of Ebola

September 27, 2015

This hybrid device integrates a microfluidic chip for sample preparation and an optofluidic chip for optical detection of individual molecules of viral RNA. (Image Credit: Joshua Parks) A team led by researchers at UC Santa Cruz has [more...]