Building a Smarter Planet. A Smarter Planet Blog.

IBM scientists have created a one-step point-of-care-diagnostic test, based on an innovative silicon chip that requires less sample volume, is significantly faster, portable, easy to use and can test for many diseases, including one of world’s leading cause of death, cardiovascular disease*. The results are so quick and accurate that a patient’s serum or blood sample, could be tested immediately following a myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, to enable the doctor to take a course of action and to predict the patients survival rate.

IBM scientists have encoded the forces of capillary action on a microfluidic chip made of a silicon compound, similar to those used in computer chips, thus leveraging IBM’s vast experience in developing and manufacturing silicon semiconductor wafers.
The chip, which measures 1 × 5 centimeters, contains sets of micrometer wide channels where the test sample flows through in approximately 15 seconds, several times faster then traditional tests. Uniquely, the filling speed can be adjusted to several minutes when the chip requires additional time to read a more complex disease marker.
With the support of BioWin, an organization dedicated to promoting human health sciences in the Wallonia region of Belgium, Coris BioConcept (situated in Gemboux) intends to work closely with IBM to bring the chip to market in Belgium.
“This microfluidic chip is the next step in the evolution of point of care devices. We look forward to working with the scientists at IBM Research - Zurich to develop this innovation even further,” said Thierry Leclipteux, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Science Officer, Coris BioConcept.

IBM scientists designed the chip with flexibility in mind in both its form and uses. Due to its small size the chip can be embedded in several types of form factors, depending on the application, including a credit card, a pen or something similar to a pregnancy test. Besides diagnosing diseases, the test is also flexible enough to test for chemical and bio hazards.