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"The idea is to make complex diagnostic processes as simple to perform
as modern-day pregnancy tests," explains Dr. Nathaniel Robinson, head of
the Transport and Separations Group at Linköping University in Sweden. But can small
advances in medical diagnostics make big differences in patient care? Robinson
and PhD student Per Erlandsson think so. By using nanotechnology, they're
developing a super-small pump that will allow patients to perform preliminary
tests upon themselves and in their own homes.
Electro-osmotic pumps may not be new, but the one that Robinson and Erlandsson
are designing isn't special just because it's small. Traditional electro-osmotic
pumps are made of metal electrodes and produce electrochemical reactions whose
byproducts can disturb biological samples. But this new electro-osmotic nano pump
uses a conductive plastic that is put on a microfluidic chip and electrochemically
oxidized. Charges are carried via metal wires so that the electric current can
move fluids such as blood, urine and saliva. In practice, these lab-on-a-chip (LOC)
devices contain nano versions of the beakers and test tubes found in most laboratories.
To date, Robinson and Erlandsson have demonstrated that their electro-osmotic
pump can run repeatedly and reliably over extended periods of time at
relatively low voltages. The researchers have applied for a patent and are now
pursuing partners who can use this nano pump in portable, battery-driven diagnostic
devices.
Source: Nano Werk
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