CSIRO develops sound technology for rapid screening

Point-of-care blood screening at airports, schools and the local GP's office could be a reality following the development of a micro-technology at the CSIRO that uses sound to mix blood.

"Mixing is one of the key bottlenecks that needs to be overcome to miniaturise diagnostic testing," explains Dr Richard Manasseh, a member of the Microfluidics Team at CSIRO Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology in Melbourne, which has patented a method using acoustic microstreaming.

"Currently in the pathology lab, large volumes of fluid are used to perform a test -- turbulence is used to mix the blood and the reagent. But in small volumes there is no turbulence," said Manasseh. "We have found that when sound passes through a fluid the air vibrates to and fro, and causes the fluid to flow in streaming patterns which can be used to mix blood at a micro scale."

The development opens the door for cost effective, fast, point-of-care screening, but is not expected to replace traditional pathology. "Demand for rapid point-of-care screening is the driver," Manasseh said. "We're not attempting to upset the pathology industry -- we're attempting to screen, followed by further testing.

"We could screen people at the airport if there was an outbreak of SARS or bird flu. We are adding an extra layer of testing, particularly for the airport context -- at the moment you can't choose people at random. This is a more rational way," he said.

The next step, according to Manasseh, is the search for commercial partners who are interested in micro-scale testing which is simple, efficient and cost-effective. "We are seeking to customise devices for a number of serological tests on the serum in the blood. We are in the process of quasi-commercial negotiations with a number of parties and plan to be making prototype devices of tests in a minimum of 18 months -- we will then find a company interested in manufacturing," he said.