Microfluidic chip to quickly diagnose the flu
Researchers from Boston University, Harvard, and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have developed a new method to test for the flu virus. These researchers have built a microfluidic chip that rivals the accuracy of the most accurate current test for the flu virus, Reverse Transcription- Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), and is also faster, cheaper, and disposable.
These results come after a four-year study of 146 patients who had flu-like symptoms and consisted of researchers miniaturizing the RT-PCR process. After miniaturization, the chip consisted of three different parts, which can be seen in the image below: the top column extracts RNA from the proteins associated with influenza A; the middle chamber converts RNA into DNA; and the bottom chamber, which is climate-controlled, replicates the DNA so that it can be detected by an external reader.
These results come after a four-year study of 146 patients who had flu-like symptoms and consisted of researchers miniaturizing the RT-PCR process. After miniaturization, the chip consisted of three different parts, which can be seen in the image below: the top column extracts RNA from the proteins associated with influenza A; the middle chamber converts RNA into DNA; and the bottom chamber, which is climate-controlled, replicates the DNA so that it can be detected by an external reader.
After the test is finished, it can be disposed of to prevent contamination of other samples. The test is the size of a microscope slide and researchers hope to produce the test so that the cost is $5 per chip and results can be given in an hour.
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posted by Harrison Smith at 2:02 PM
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