Researchers in the Netherlands develop a microfluidic chip for testing drug reactions
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted April 25th 2009 11:26AM
posted April 25th 2009 11:26AM
Researchers at the University of Twente in the Netherlands have developed an extremely small microfluidic chip that simulates chemical reactions commonplace in the human body, for testing drug reactions. The device is around a thousand times smaller than the usual electrochemical cell (the volume of the chip's main fluid channel is a mere 9.6 nanoliters) and uses electrodes to control the chemical reactions. It's already been used to conduct tests on Amodiaquine, an anti-malarial drug, with more studies sure to follow. While this is great news for medical science, we have to wonder what the small army of slackers, malingerers, and college students are going to do when they're no longer able to make money as human guinea pigs. Become bloggers?
[Via PhysOrg]
[Via PhysOrg]
I've got free helpings of HIV. Who wants some?
So if you love apple too much, it'll give you HIV?
The coin is HUGE
Cool, but why is the 20 cent piece silver? They should be goldish.
It is gold-ish. Adjust your monitor.
Who can spot the penis?
I found it. Fortunately for you, you seem to still be able to post with it in your mouth. :)
All I see is a dickhead.
Maybe this can fight against the pig flu!!!
do they come in batches of "twente" ?
B.F.D!
Microfluidic chips are nothing new. There are a number of commercial applications out there. For example, Agilent makes the Lab-on-a-Chip analysis system. See:
http://www.chem.agilent.com/en-US/Products/Instruments/lab-on-a-chip/Pages/default.aspx
Agreed. I don't see why this is new... microfluidics has been around for a while. This is not the first, nor will be the last 'lab on a chip'.
Yeah, I know I've seen these floating around in one of the chemical engineering labs on campus before...
Tukkers suf.
Siemens already did this...
yeah no kidding. MEMS was like..last decade, i've also made stuff better than this. how do i get engadget to blog about it?
oh wait, I published in a peer-reviewed journal unlike these netherlanders.
@Kaitou KID;
"netherlanders"?!
go back top school kid
fairlight:
"go back top school kid"??
You need to go back to touch typing school or get a better spell-checker
Netherlanders is actually a correct alternative to the more common 'dutch' AFAIK.
But that university is a well accepted institute and they do publish in peer-reviewed publications too.
And when they say it's a 1000 times smaller than the usual version I'm guessing they acknowledge that the chip is not new but the size of it is.
Oh and I like that new trend of clearly poorly educated people claiming they 'did that themselves already' often in post that then indeed show these people cannot even spell or form a sentence in their own language. I see that all over comment sections on various sites.
I cannot be certain if that is the situation here of course, but I do know it's a popular false claim currently.
Im actually going to disagree and say that micro-fluidics is still a pretty new industry.
Mainly because the MEMS plasma etchers that are used for this are only now getting to the level required for the applications.
I have seen a lot of university interest growing in Micro-fluidics recently.
THe technology is very exciting.
If you want you could google STS etchers, Alcatel MEMS, SAMCO MEMS and you will see three of the leading etching companies in the field...