Affordable mass screening to curb pandemics

A portable MicroKit system developed by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute, enables mass health screenings to be conducted at strategic locations such as airports, immigration checkpoints and train stations.

By facilitating rapid and accurate disease detection at these decentralized places, IBN's MicroKit can help to curb the spread of infectious diseases and prevent pandemics. This study was published recently in the leading microfluidic and nanofluidic journal, Lab on a Chip1.

The outbreak of infectious diseases such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003 and the new strain of influenza A H1N1 virus in 2009, and their rapid proliferation within the community triggered a global fear and underscored the need for a fully automated system that can quickly identify infected patients.