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'Lab On a Chip' Made From Paper and Tape

Posted by timothy on from the either-a-duct-a-mask-or-a-scotch dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at Harvard University have developed a microfluidic device using ordinary paper and tape. Squares of paper are layered and connected with adhesive tape, channeling liquid horizontally and vertically in a very small area. Each square of paper has been treated with photoresist material, which creates channels that funnel liquid into tiny wells containing certain proteins or antibodies. The fluid interacts with that area of the paper and turns the well a certain color. It can, for example, detect varying concentrations of glucose. Lead researcher George Whitesides says such paper 'lab on a chip' tests may lead to a cost-effective, portable, and accurate method for diagnosing diseases in countries lacking reliable health care. The research appears in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science."

6 of 66 comments (clear)

  1. caught red-handed by astrodoom · · Score: 5, Funny

    So they're the ones who have been stealing all the paper and tape from the supply cabinet!

  2. grants are nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Millions in grant money and this is what they come up with? Paper and tape?

    1. Re:grants are nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Millions in grant money and they came up with "a cost-effective, portable, and accurate method for diagnosing diseases in countries lacking reliable health care."

      I don't care if it's made of dogshit and orange peel, if it saves lives then it's money well spent. Just because something's not made of high-tech materials doesn't mean it can't be innovative or useful. In fact low-tech often means cheap and widely available, so it can be a good thing.

      Check out the pot it pot refrigerator for a innovative low-tech solution that is changing peoples' lives for the better right now.

  3. If you want to overclock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Instead of regular tape, you could use duct tape.

  4. tape and ordinary paper? by shawb · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In my experience, "ordinary paper" is generally not the same thing as "treated with photoresist material, which creates channels that funnel liquid into tiny wells containing certain proteins or antibodies."

    I'd be willing to hazard a guess that it's not the paper or tape that will be making up the bulk of the testing device's price.

    --
    I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
  5. I'm not so sure, yet . . . by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 5, Funny

    . . . I briefly skimmed the article, and neither a "Mullet" nor a "Swiss Army Knife" was mentioned.

    Those are the two of the critical ingredients in Macgyver Stew.

    --
    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!