The Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) in Singapore has developed an automated testing device that could enable mass screening for viruses in airports and other public places. The MicroKit requires a minimum of training to use: the operator simply pipettes a blood sample into a disposable cartridge and the machine does the rest. According to the results recently published in the journal Lab on a Chip, the MicroKit can detect H1N1 (swine flu) as accurately as traditional lab techniques but in only two and half hours. This would make it possible to routinely test travelers in airports and customs stations to prevent epidemic outbreaks.
How will we use this new technology? IBN seems focused on the mass screenings of travelers, but there are equally important applications for third world testing. We could have custom agents collecting blood samples to stop the spread of H1N1 or the next scary flu virus, but that’s going to be a privacy nightmare.
As the MicroKit continues to improve it has the potential to become an ‘all in one’ testing device. A single sample of blood, a single machine, and a few hours could tell you whether you have any number of diseases. That’s damn cool.
