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It is said to be the smallest PCR detector in the world.
Whether it is medical diagnosis or environmental testing, people need small and portable testing equipment. Therefore, the compact PCR detector came into being. Recently, the Canadian Spartan Bioscience company launched a claimed to be the world's smallest molecular diagnostic equipment.
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Whether it is medical diagnosis or environmental testing, people need small and portable testing equipment. Therefore, the compact PCR detector came into being. Recently, the Canadian Spartan Bioscience company launched a claimed to be the world's smallest molecular diagnostic equipment.
This instrument, called Spartan Cube, is, as its name implies, a cube with a length, width and height of 4 inches, or 10cm. The whole instrument is as big as a mug. It is no problem to put it in laboratories and clinics. You can even take it to the Amazon rainforest to test the water quality there.
Spartan Cube uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to perform different DNA tests in as little as 30 minutes. It connects wirelessly with a tablet or laptop to display the process and results of the inspection through an intuitive interface on the computer. Cube integrates DNA extraction, analysis, and results to make DNA testing easy for anyone.
Spartan the Cube is like the Xbox, it is a console, and the test kit is a cartridge (cartridge). The Cube first scans the barcode on the kit. A platform computer connected to the Cube recognizes the kit and runs the appropriate program. The test kit contains the reagents you need to detect specific genes.
To test for a genetic disease, for example, you take a cheek swab and put it in a cassette. After that, you put the cartridge into the instrument and press Start. The results will pop up on the screen and tell you if you have the disease. From sample to result, the whole process takes less than 30 minutes. In addition, you can also use it to predict drug response and see if it is suitable for a targeted drug.
"The Spartan Cube is a revolutionary molecular diagnostics platform. The palm-of-your-hand device enables rapid DNA testing," said Dr. Paul Lem, CEO of Spartan Bioscience. "Whether it's quickly diagnosing patients in a doctor's office or running genetic tests for drug reactions, Spartan Cube will provide results anytime, anywhere."
As for the price of the instrument, Dr. Lem said in an interview that it would be affordable for everyone. He gave the example of a blood sugar test. In the early years, you need to go to the hospital to test your blood sugar and wait for a long time to get the results. Nowadays, with the use of blood glucose meters and reagents, the results are available in a few minutes and the price is not expensive.
The same is true of DNA testing. Today, DNA testing equipment is still expensive, around $10000-$50000. Spartan Bioscience want to push prices down and make them affordable for everyone. However, Dr. Lem did not specify the price of the Cube and the test kit.
The developers of this technology hope that the Cube will do what the personal computer does. "In the past, the use of computers has been limited to research and development.... People don't realize that it will release music, games and many, many applications. All this can be realized because the hardware required is cheap and easy to use."
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