Portable chips can detect influenza viruses

Europe's top semiconductor maker, STMicroelectronics, 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.

Photo: Portable chips can detect influenza viruses

The chip can differentiate human strains of the Influenza A and B viruses, drug-resistant strains and mutated variants, including the Avian Flu or H5N1 strain.

There have been 236 human deaths globally from the H5N1 strain, according to the World Health Organisation, though it remains mainly a bird virus.

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. Veredus Laboratories is a medical device company in Singapore, specialising in developing portable diagnostic tool kit. The application underwent extensive evaluation trials at Singapore's National University Hospital last year.

It allows users to process and analyse patient samples -- comprising human blood, serum or respiratory swabs -- on a single disposable thumbnail-sized microchip.

Revenue contributions from its biomedical chip business would remain "negligible" for at least another three to five years.

Veredus Chief Executive Rosemary Tan said the company had obtained "very promising" sales orders from hospitals and non-hospital customers.

Another big potential market is the screening of travellers at airports and border checkpoints, Tan said.

Experts are monitoring the H5N1 virus for signs of mutation into a form easily transmitted from person to person, a development that could trigger a deadly pandemic. So far most human cases can be traced to contact with infected birds.

STMicro and Veredus have set up a joint laboratory in Singapore, where their experts will work on developing new biomedical applications using STMicro's chip platform for other infectious diseases, oncology and heart-disease markers.

STMicroelectronics is an electronics and semiconductor manufacturer headquartered in in Geneva, Switzerland.