DNA test may become 'lab on a chip' test

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Sept. 23 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist hopes to create a hand-held device that will allow DNA tests to be conducted nearly anywhere, without need of an expensive laboratory.

University of Virginia Professor James Landers said such a device would allow physicians, crime scene investigators and even the general public, to quickly and inexpensively conduct DNA tests.

"We are simplifying and miniaturizing the analytical processes so we can do this work in the field, away from traditional laboratories, with very fast analysis times and at a greatly reduced cost," said Landers, a professor of chemistry and mechanical engineering and an associate professor of pathology.

Landers and colleagues are designing a hand-held device the size of a microscope slide that houses many of the analytical tools of an entire laboratory. The unit can test a pin-prick-size droplet of blood and provide a DNA analysis within an hour.

"In creating these automated micro-fluidic devices, we can now begin to do macro-chemistry at the microscale," Landers said.

A review of Landers' research appears in the journal Analytical Chemistry.