A Card-Swipe for Medical Tests

A Card-Swipe for Medical Tests

University of Utah scientists successfully created a sensitive prototype device that could test for dozens or even hundreds of diseases simultaneously by acting like a credit card-swipe machine to scan a card loaded with microscopic blood, saliva or urine samples. The prototype works on the same principle – giant magnetoresistance or GMR – that is used to read data on computer hard drives or listen to tunes on portable digital music players. “Think how fast your PC reads data on a hard drive, and imagine using the same technology to monitor your health,” says Marc Porter, a Utah Science, Technology and Research (USTAR) professor of chemistry, chemical engineering and bioengineering.

The Smarter Planet tumblelog is an outgrowth of IBM’s strategic initiative to help a world of smart systems emerge.

More Read

Gaining an ‘Unfair Advantage’ with Predictive Analytics

PROS Will Acquire Cameleon to Enhance Sales Effectiveness

The Future of BI in Two Words

Building Blocks for Your Social Data Integration Solution

Denver Broncos and Olympians Go Digital

 See this primer on Smarter Planet