 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Labs full of beakers and pipettes may one day be replaced by a something as small as a nine-volt battery. New research may help to shrink the space needed in labs when it comes to doing cancer screenings.
Scientists at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg report they have developed a disposable microchip that will replace a lab full of instruments. They call the technology lab-on-a-chip. The three-by-one-inch glass microchip is a disposable, microfluidic device that can be used for large-scale screening of disease-related biomarkers. These biomarkers are key in diagnosing diseases including breast cancer.
Text Continues Below
Researchers used the microchip to detect cancer biomarkers in cellular extracts generated from a breast cancer cell line. They identified 77 proteins with confidence, including five of which are known to be cancer-specific biomarkers.
Researchers report the microchip is part of the search for more cost-effective and sensitive ways to test for cancer. The chip allows researchers to inject, separate, label and detect important biomarkers in just a few minutes. Also, the miniature format allows scientists to use small amounts of sample, making the process faster and more cost effective.
They filed a patent application for this new device with the U.S. patent office.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Analytical Chemistry, 2006;78:5513-5524
|
.gif)
