Scientists from the Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a new “lab on a chip” production method that costs only one cent per chip and takes about 20 minutes to be made. The team of researchers wanted to create a cheap method for diagnosis to democratize access for low-income countries, where people can’t afford state-of-the-art methods available elsewhere.
The new method consists of two parts. The first part is a clear silicone microfluidic chamber responsible for storing the patient’s cells and a reusable electronic strip. The second part is an inkjet printer powered with commercially available conductive nanoparticle ink and responsible for printing the electronic strip onto a flexible sheet of polyester.
