Local invention detects HFMD in only one hour

Lecturers at Temasek Polytechnic (TP) have found a way to detect Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) earlier and faster.

On Thursday, the Health Ministry reported a 19-per-cent increase in HFMD cases, from the previous high reported the week before.

There have been 13,289 cases reported this year.

Combining microelectronics and biology, the four lecturers have developed a portable device that tests saliva for the HFMD virus at the first symptom of the high-fever stage, about a week earlier than current tests.

Existing tests take between several hours and several days to detect the virus, while it can detect HFMD within an hour.

It will take three to five years to commercialise the device, said project supervisor Charles Wang Shan Zhong, manager of TP's Microelectronics Centre at the School of Engineering.

It is meant to be a simple, low-cost household device used by people who are not medically trained - such as parents who want to test their children for HFMD at home - or in places such as childcare centres.

The chip in the device is "very sensitive", so it can detect low levels of the virus, or when the disease is at an early stage, said Dr Wang. "Once (the child) has a fever or some symptoms and is suspected to have HFMD, you can test the saliva for early detection."

Investigators are in the midst of filing a patent and will need to conduct reliability and stability tests.

This project was among 19 research projects showcased at the inaugural Poly-ITE Social Innovation Research Forum yesterday. Six tertiary education institutions participated.

ORIGINAL SOURCE
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