Bayer: Science For A Better Life - research

Biochips are revolutionizing diagnostics technology

A medical laboratory in your wallet

Dr. Ingmar Dorn (l.) and Dr. Kerstin Bohmann check the laser lens system for fluorescence measurement.

The medical laboratory of the future has no windows or doors and no one goes in or out - although that wouldn't be possible anyway, as it is so small that it would fit into your trouser pocket. On an area the size of a credit card, it can perform tests which in the past needed several hundred square meters of laboratory space. Scientists at Bayer Technology Services are developing these miniature analytical devices for Bayer HealthCare's Diagnostics Division.

Diagnosis within minutes

These biochips – also known as the lab-on-a-chip – are tools designed to enable new, more individualized treatment and as such are regarded as the most promising developments in medical diagnostics. Soon, typical tests could be moved from large central laboratories right into the doctor’s surgery, thus helping to find the best possible treatment for each individual patient. A drop of blood or saliva, or a few cells from a swab taken inside the cheek would be sufficient to enable the GP to determine the cause and stage of the illness and the most suitable treatment within minutes. Details on the miniature laborabory which will fit into your trouser pocket and the “planar waveguide technology” on which it is based can be found in the following article (PDF file).