Yonhap News Agency has reported that South Korean scientists have developed a highly perceptive biochip to detect diseases and environmental pollutants specifically.
Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) has analyzed the new biochip, which is 100,000 times more sensitive than conventional screening devices in spotting individual diseased molecules, speeding up treatment and cleaning process.
Generally, these biochips are made using metal nano dot arrays. They work by fixing particular antibodies of diseases, viruses and pollutants on their surface. Then, these antibodies will respond to antigens and identify the presence of molecules of diseases and pollutants.
The researcher, Shin Yong-beom says that biochip uses an "enzyme substrate reaction" system to get better-quality image of molecules.
The greater sensitivity of the biochip can identify cancer growth in humans, foot-and-mouth virus in animals and hazardous materials in water and the earth.
The KRIBB team uses nanoimprint lithography manufacturing system for nano dot array in addition to improving sensitivity. This method is cheaper and easier than making usual electron beams that cut prototypes into the metal array. The new biochip is commercially feasible because of employing nanoimprint lithography.
Source: http://www.kribb.re.kr/