Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Portable device can sniff out anthrax in an hour, won't bring the noise]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/02/portable-device-can-sniff-out-anthrax-in-an-hour-wont-bring-th/http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/02/portable-device-can-sniff-out-anthrax-in-an-hour-wont-bring-th/http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/02/portable-device-can-sniff-out-anthrax-in-an-hour-wont-bring-th/#commentsGot some mysterious white powder sitting on your coffee table? A new, suitcase-sized device can tell you whether you've got dandruff, or anthrax. Developed by researchers at Cornell and the University of Albany, the detector uses a microfluidic chip (pictured on the left) to collect and purify the DNA on a given sample, before conducting a series of polymerase chain reactions -- processes that can quickly identify biological materials. The machine, which has been in the works for seven years, is powerful enough to deliver test results in just one hour (requiring a sample of only 40 microscopic spores), but is slim enough to fit in an airline's overhead luggage bin. Scientists say their creation could also be catered to pick up on other pathogens, including salmonella, and may even pay dividends for crime scene investigators handling forensic evidence. No word yet on when the device could hit the market, but we won't touch an ounce of sugar until it does.

Portable device can sniff out anthrax in an hour, won't bring the noise originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anthraxanthrax attacksanthrax detectorAnthraxAttacksAnthraxDetectorcornellcornell universityCornellUniversitycrimedetectordnaforensicsmicrofluidicmicrofluidic chipMicrofluidicChippathogenpolicepolymerase chain reactionsPolymeraseChainReactionsresearchsafetysalmonellasecuritysuitcaseterrorismuniversity of albanyUniversityOfAlbanyTue, 02 Aug 2011 14:05:00 EST<![CDATA[Scientists separate plasma from blood with working biochip]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/21/scientists-separate-plasma-from-blood-with-working-biochip/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/21/scientists-separate-plasma-from-blood-with-working-biochip/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/21/scientists-separate-plasma-from-blood-with-working-biochip/#comments Disposable biotech sensors won't let you diagnose your own diseases quite yet, but we've taken the first step -- a research team spanning three universities has successfully prototyped a lab-on-a-chip. Called the Self-powered Integrated Microfluidic Blood Analysis System (or SIMBAS for short, thankfully), the device takes a single drop of blood and separates the cells from the plasma. There's no electricity, mechanics or chemical reactions needed here, just the work of gravity to pull the fluid through the tiny trenches and grooves, and it can take as little as ten minutes to produce a useful result. It's just the first of a projected series of devices to make malady detection fast, affordable and portable. Diagram after the break!

Continue reading Scientists separate plasma from blood with working biochip

Scientists separate plasma from blood with working biochip originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biochipbloodblood testBloodTestdiagnosisdiseaselab on a chiplab-on-a-chipLabOnAChipmedicalmedicinemicrofluidicmicrofluidicsnanonanofluidicnanofluidicsnanotechnanotechnologySIMBAStesttestsUC BerkeleyUcBerkeleyMon, 21 Mar 2011 20:44:00 EST<![CDATA[Microfluidic chip does 1,000 parallel chemical reactions, looks glorious]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/06/microfluidic-chip-does-1-000-parallel-chemical-reactions-looks/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/06/microfluidic-chip-does-1-000-parallel-chemical-reactions-looks/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/06/microfluidic-chip-does-1-000-parallel-chemical-reactions-looks/#comments
We'd never considered a career in biochemistry until we saw this wild beast of a chemical microprocessor. Microfluidic chips, used to test chemical reactions and properties, have been known to be smaller, but they've never before been quite this powerful. The result of a joint study between California State University, UCLA and China's Wuhan University, the "integrated microfluidic device" is capable of performing 1,024 in situ chemical reactions at a time, making the researcher's life, oh, about 1,024 times easier. Most importantly though, costly enzymes previously used for a single test can now be split up into hundreds and tested simultaneously, which should pave the way for exponentially faster and easier medical research. It's not clear when these will be widely available, but we're sure PhDs around the world are trying to order one as we speak.

[Via medGadget]

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Microfluidic chip does 1,000 parallel chemical reactions, looks glorious originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biochemistryCalifornia State UniversityCaliforniaStateUniversitychemistrydrugshealthin situ click chemistryInSituClickChemistryLab on a chipLabOnAChipmedicinemicrofluidicmicrofluidic chipMicrofluidicChippharmaceuticalsresearchSiemensUCLAWuhan UniversityWuhanUniversityThu, 06 Aug 2009 20:13:00 EST<![CDATA[Researchers in the Netherlands develop a microfluidic chip for testing drug reactions]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/25/researchers-in-the-netherlands-develop-a-microfluidic-chip-for-t/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/25/researchers-in-the-netherlands-develop-a-microfluidic-chip-for-t/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/25/researchers-in-the-netherlands-develop-a-microfluidic-chip-for-t/#comments
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]

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Researchers in the Netherlands develop a microfluidic chip for testing drug reactions originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Amodiaquinedrug researchDrugResearchdrugsmicrofluidicmicrofluidic chipMicrofluidicChipUniversity of TwenteUniversityOfTwenteSat, 25 Apr 2009 11:26:00 EST<![CDATA[Debiotech's insulin "Nanopump" delivers the good stuff, stays out of sight]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/26/debiotechs-insulin-nanopump-delivers-the-good-stuff-stays-ou/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/26/debiotechs-insulin-nanopump-delivers-the-good-stuff-stays-ou/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/26/debiotechs-insulin-nanopump-delivers-the-good-stuff-stays-ou/#commentsInsulin pumps have come a long way in a few short years, all the way down to a pager-sized device diabetes patients can wear on a belt and keep out of sight for the most part, but Debiotech isn't content to stop there, and has teamed up with STMicroelectronics to bring a miniaturized insulin pump to market. The Nanopump is a disposable insulin pump, based on microfluidic MEMS tech (picture after the break), and is small enough to be worn as a nearly invisible patch on the skin, about 1/4 the size of existing pumps. The new partnership with ST brings this pump closer to the market, thanks to ST's silicon-based microfluidic manufacturing chops, and hopefully we should be seeing these not too long after the device clears regulatory hurdles, sans creepy butterfly.

Continue reading Debiotech's insulin "Nanopump" delivers the good stuff, stays out of sight

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Debiotech's insulin "Nanopump" delivers the good stuff, stays out of sight originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>debiotechmicrofluidicnanopumpstmicroelectronicsThu, 26 Apr 2007 07:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Microfluidic computer runs on bubbles, deals in chemical analysis]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/09/microfluidic-computer-runs-on-bubbles-deals-in-chemical-analysi/http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/09/microfluidic-computer-runs-on-bubbles-deals-in-chemical-analysi/http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/09/microfluidic-computer-runs-on-bubbles-deals-in-chemical-analysi/#commentsFlipping over to alternate energy sources isn't just the rage in vehicles, as we've seen steam-powered and string-powered computers already, and now we're witnessing an oddity that's actually energized by bubbles. The "microfluidic" computer performs calculations by squeezing bubbles through tiny channels etched into a chip, and although it runs around 1,000 times slower than you're average desktop today and takes up quite a bit more room, no AC outlet is required to churn out chemical analysis. Manu Prakash and Neil Gershenfeld of the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms created the devices by "etching channels about one micron wide into silicon, and then using nitrogen bubbles contained in water to represent bits of information flowing through these channels." The computer utilizes Boolean logic functions to carry out its work, and the researchers are already envisioning it carrying bubbles of molecules or individual cells to "conduct diagnostics or detect pathogens." We'll admit, a bubble-powered PC ain't too shabby, but even proponents fessed up that such a snail isn't putting modern day machine vendors out of business anytime soon.

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Microfluidic computer runs on bubbles, deals in chemical analysis originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BooleanbubblechemicalchemistcomputerelectricityenergygreenlogicmicrofluidicresearchtestingFri, 09 Feb 2007 15:46:00 EST