One-Cent Lab-on-a-Chip
A NanoLab that Can Diagnose Cancer and Infections
With just a few drops of blood, doctors can quickly decipher a patient’s general health status. Behind that magical facade, however, diagnostics lives and breathes technology. Most lab tests rely heavily on specialized machinery and teams of technicians to ensure they’re done safely and correctly. It’s a pricey endeavor: even the most basic equipment—a centrifuge that separates different components of the blood, for example—can cost several thousands of dollars, a price tag far beyond what developing countries can afford. Now, a team of Stanford engineers has figured out a cheaper alternative. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes a small, reusable microchip that can diagnose multiple diseases. Here’s the kicker: each chip is made by standard inkjet printing, requires just 20 minutes to assemble, and the cost? A single penny.