Europe develops the latest bird flu weapon chip detection in just 2 hours

According to the British "Daily Mail" report, STMicroelectronics, Europe's top semiconductor company, said that they have developed a feasible microchip that can detect influenza virus, including bird flu, and the detection process takes only 2 hours. .

The device is like a micro-lab run on a chip that can scan and identify multiple pathogens and genes within two hours, including human influenza A and B viruses, drug-resistant viruses, and Viral variants such as the H5N1 bird flu virus.

The user can use this small nail-sized microchip to extract and analyze the patient's samples - including blood, serum or respiratory samples - to quickly detect if they have been infected. In contrast, other tests currently available on the market can only detect one pathogen at a time, and it often takes several days to reach results.

The VereFlu chip was developed by STMicroelectronics and the private Veredus Lab in Singapore. The device received a complex assessment test at the National University Hospital in Singapore last year. The new VereFlu chip is said to be a combination of two molecular tests, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the microarray, which is the first time in the world. Moreover, combining the two test technologies in one test makes the test more sensitive and accurate.

The VereFlu chip is designed to detect influenza A and B viruses. The influenza A virus is a virus that is infected by poultry and is now transmitted to mammals. According to the World Health Organization, the H5N1 bird flu virus has killed 236 people worldwide. Experts are monitoring variants of the H5N1 bird flu virus to cope with the sudden outbreak of widespread bird flu among people.

Russell Mary, Veredus’ chief executive, said that many different strains of influenza virus have been discovered. With an average of 250,000-500,000 people infecting influenza every year on the global average, it is difficult to discriminate which strain is prevalent. Therefore, there is a need for a method for rapidly detecting which strain is present and understanding the strain in a short period of time.

In addition to the VereFlu chip, other components in this device include a thermal control system, an optical scanner, STIn-Check software for generating reports and completing analysis. The genetic microarray detection module can also be upgraded by adding DNA sequences of new strains of the strain.

VereFlu's test price is comparable to other tests on the market, but the company did not disclose the exact price. The PCR test price is about 72 US dollars.