Harry Potter's idea inspires rapid blood test

Sydney: Inspired by JK Rowling, who authored the Harry Potter series, scientists have created a rapid new blood test that literally spells out a patient’s blood type on bioactive paper. Created by Wei Shen, associate professor and colleagues at the Monash University Faculty of Engineering, the test is the first equipment-free, bioactive paper-based diagnostic device capable of reporting multiple conditions in written text. [caption id=“attachment_301066” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Reuters”]  [/caption] Shen said the research took inspiration from the film adaptation of Rowling’s novel ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’, the journal Angewandte Chemie reported. “In the film Harry Potter interrogates Tom Riddles’ diary by writing on a page of paper in the diary: ‘Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?’ and the diary responded with a ‘Yes’ in writing,” Shen said, according to a university statement. The new test uses the same principles of determining blood type as traditional measures, mixing blood sample and blood typing antibodies and awaiting reaction. The paper device was printed with a hydrophobic reagent (compounds that repel water) except for the areas marked with the blood type letters. The team then introduced antibodies into each letter, for example, antibody A into letter A, antibody B into letter B. A blood sample was then added into all the letters, mixed with corresponding antibodies and rinsed with a saline solution. If the red blood cells in letter A react with antibody A, they will clump together forming a large lump that will not rinse clear, leaving a clearly visible letter A. Shen said such low-cost and easy to understand sensors could be used in disease- screening, medical emergencies and disaster response. IANS