Lab on a chip is getting closer to reality

I first blogged about a Lab on a Chip technology over eight years ago in Soon will we be taking a daily blood test with our vitamins?

I am excited to see that this is getting closer to reality.

Printed ‘lab on a chip’ costs a penny and catches disease early reports that scientists are getting closer to making this real.  The article starts with:

Your diagnostic kit is downloading. A “lab on a chip” system costs less than a penny to make and can test cell samples for diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and cancer.

The technology could help with early detection of diseases in the developing world, where lack of access to equipment can lead to late diagnosis. “You can use it anywhere, as long as you have a printer,” says Rahim Esfandyarpour at Stanford University, who led the team that created the chips.

Each chip consists of a clear silicone chamber that houses a sample of cells for testing and a reusable electronic strip. The electronic strip can be printed onto flexible sheets of polyester using a regular inkjet printer and conductive nanoparticle ink. Users can download different designs for the strip, which let it test for different things. The whole printing process takes just 20 minutes.

I think this will be a huge benefit to health care.  There are so many diseases which can be treated when caught early.