STMicro launches chip to detect bird flu – VereFlu Chip
Europe’s top semiconductor maker, STMicroelectronics, said it has developed a portable chip to detect influenza viruses including bird flu in humans. The device, which functions as a mini laboratory on a chip, can screen and identify multiple classes of pathogens and genes in a single diagnostic test within two hours, unlike other tests available on the market that can detect only one strain at a time and require days or weeks to obtain results.
The VereFlu Chip was developed by the Franco-Italian chipmaker together with Singapore’s privately held Veredus Laboratories after more than a year of research. The application underwent extensive evaluation trials at Singapore’s National University Hospital last year. It allows users to process and analyze patient samples — comprising human blood, serum or respiratory swabs — on a single disposable thumbnail-sized microchip.
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