Rapid test for flu and bird flu
VereFluanalyser
A joint venture between a microelectronics company and a medical diagnostics company has produced the world’s first “lab-on-chip” portable device for detecting various types of flu, including bird flu, at the point of need.
The launch of VereFlu, described as a “breakthrough molecular diagnostic test that can detect infection with high accuracy and sensitivity”, was announced on Monday by its makers, STMicroelectronics of Switzerland and Veredus Laboratories of Singapore. The device was successfully trialled at the National University Hospital of Singapore.
Unlike existing diagnostic methods, VereFlu is a breakthrough molecular diagnostic test that can detect infection with high accuracy and sensitivity, within two hours providing genetic information of the infection that traditionally would take days to weeks to learn. With its high level of automation, users outside the traditional lab environment can easily perform the tests at the point of need.
The device integrates two powerful molecular biological applications to identify and differentiate, using a single test, human strains of Influenza virus types A and B, and the H5N1 strain of Avian Flu. This portable “mini-lab” allows the diagnostician to analyze a patient sample like blood, serum and respiratory swabs, on a single disposable thumbnail-sized chip.
The cost of the VereFlu test is comparable with other existing tests in the market although a spokesperson did not provide any specific price. It is understood that a single PCR test is priced around Sing$100 (US$72), including specialized labor costs for testing.
Elaine Warburton www.geneticsandhealth.com
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POSTED IN: Bird flu, Genetic Testing, Lab on a Chip, Personalized Medicine, biomarkers, infectious diseases, point of care testing
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