Bird flu test done in half an hour

Scientists in Singapore have successfully developed a portable device that is said to detect the infamous H5N1 bird flu virus that gripped the world with fear and terror a few years’ back. Comprised of a unique platform designed by IBN, it uses a magnetic force to manipulate individual droplets containing silica-coated magnetic particles. The droplet itself has many functions, being a pump, valve, mixer, solid-phase extractor and real-time thermocycler. It will then be able to process complex biochemical tasks in a similar manner found in that of a traditional biological laboratory on a miniature scale. Initial trial runs have shown that IBN’s platform is extremely sensitive and yields results around 10 times faster than available tests. Another piece of good news – the final product could be up to 40 to a hundred times cheaper than existing solutions.