Automated Chip Can Quickly Diagnose HIV And TB

Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have created a promising device that can potentially give a blood-based diagnosis in minutes and identify diseases such as TB and HIV. Scientists now quickly and easily separate the blood cells so that the diagnosis takes mere minutes as they are dealing working on a such as small scale.

The device is actually kind of like a microchip and functions by placing the blood molecules into a tiny vacuum-sealed package, when the seal is then broken and air molecules are reabsorbed back into the device, the change in pressure that this generates is enough to drive the blood into the chip and result in a diagnosis. That way, the blood prep work relies on gravity instead of an external power source.

[via Smart Planet]