Silicon chips for iPhone diagnostics

Imagine this: a nanoscale, porous silicon chip that is coated with chemicals that can attract proteins of specific cells in a body fluid that indicate a possible disease.  Then, think of a stack of these chips for common situations, like a urinary tract infection, or dental caries.  Put the sample on a chip, take a picture on an iPhone, and have an app do a diagnosis by a color change.  This is what a Vanderbilt University professor is developing—inexpensive tools for every day health problems using a “computer” that nearly everyone already owns.  MORE

Image Credit:  Vanderbilt University, Heidi Hall