Biomarker testing – looking for protein markers of disease in blood or urine samples – is normally done in labs with expensive instruments. But a new device, made by scientists in Texas, could take some tests out of the lab and closer to patients. The V-Chip, as it’s called, is cheap, portable, and relatively easy to use. The researchers hope that one day, it’ll mean tests can be done at the bedside or even in patients’ homes. Charlotte Stoddart took the V-Chip to a lab in London where they develop tests for Great Ormond Street Hospital and Britain’s National Health Service.
Read the original research paper: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v3/n12/full/ncomms2292.html
