Aug 17 2010
Dr. Tony Killard of the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute is formulating a test for cholesterol by implementing the printed electronics technology. The Biomedical Diagnostics Institute is supported financially by the CSET programme of the Science Foundation, Ireland.
According to Dr. Killard, printed electronics or plastic electronics will totally revamp the approach of the currently used technology. He also added that the modern flat televisions are designed by using the plastic electronic technology rather than expensive silicon electronics in other applications or purposes.
Printed cholesterol sensor with printed batteries and printed display
Dr.Killard’s research team has been fabricating flexible diagnostics and biosensors and they have exploited the capability of the printed technology to revolutionize the methods or the processes by which various blood tests had been carried out earlier.
Dr. Killard added that, the strip of a sensor and the meter to document the measurement, which had been used in the previous test methodology, were incorporated into a small plastic block in the current printed technology.
Dr. Killard collaborates with the European and Irish researchers to blend their printed sensor used in cholesterol tests with the printed batteries and digital displays. These improved sensors can communicate the information to a doctor by means of mobile phones and thus can penetrate populated remote areas.
Dr.Killard explained that the strips are cost-effective and can be printed in bulk do not require the replacement of batteries and fixing of the measurement recorder meter; instead the strip can be discarded or recycled for continued use.
The printed electronics research project is supported financially for €2.95M for 3 years under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme. The printed displays will be developed by DCU and Ntera who share €1M from the gross award. According to Dr. Killard, Ireland will play a key role in printed electronics technology and will gain €300 billion worldwide by 2030.