Engineers at Michigan Technological University Create Pocket-Sized, Multi-Test Medical Lab-on-a Chip Using Computer-Aided Design Technology
Unique pocket-sized lab could provide doctors immediate test results, reduce costs for budget-strapped clinical laboratories, and serve as a lab-testing tool for doctors working in remote areas
For almost two decades, developers have touted the potential of lab-on-a-chip technology to play a greater role in clinical laboratory testing. Now the latest twist on this technology story is that computer engineers are using the power of computer-aided design (CAD) to develop innovative lab-on-a-chip (LOC) designs.
This innovative work was created by two computer engineers from Michigan Technological University (MTU). Working together, T. Shiyan Hu, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at MTU, and doctorate student Chen Liao have created two computer-generated configurations for routing a droplet of blood or other bodily specimen through multiple LOC channels. Their invention would facilitate running dozens of different diagnostic tests, from HIV to diabetes, on a single LOC. (more…)
