By Hatice Altug -
About the size of a stapler, this new handheld device developed at EFPL is able to test a large number of proteins in our body all at once-a subtle combination of optical science and engineering.
Could it be possible one day to do a complete checkup without a doctor's visit? EPFL's latest discovery is headed in that direction. Professor Hatice Altug and postoctoral fellow Arif Cetin, in collaboration with Prof. Aydogan Ozcan from UCLA, have developed an "optical lab on a chip." Compact and inexpensive, it could offer to quickly analyze up to 170,000 different molecules in a blood sample. This method could simultaneously identify insulin levels, cancer and Alzheimer markers, or even certain viruses. "We were looking to build an interface similar to a car's dashboard, which is able to indicate gas and oil levels as well as let you know if your headlights are on or if your engine is working correctly," explains Altug.
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Soon it will be possible to get a health check up via a handheld device from viruses to diseases
