News & Events
NTU scientists develop ExoArc chip that can test blood faster and more precisely
Singapore Tonight, CNA, 27 Mar, 10.30pm
Blood test results may soon come back quicker with a new type of chip known as ExoArc. It can isolate plasma from blood in a single step -- and within 30 minutes -- to detect certain cancers and diseases more quickly and easily. Associate Professor Hou Han Wei, a biomedical engineer from NTU, shared more about how the device works. The prototype machine has a small microfluidics chip, where blood will be pumped in automatically and the plasma will be separated and collected in a separate tube. This minimises human handling of the conventional centrifuge which is dependent on the skills of the technician. The ExoArc is aimed to be placed in primary care clinics so that plasma can be immediately isolated before it is sent to diagnostic labs.
Rapid Blood Diagnostics
NTU’s potential game changer for quick, accurate blood samples to detect cancers and diseases
The Straits Times online, 22 Mar
Scientists in Singapore have developed a new method of isolating blood plasma that will allow certain cancers and diseases, such as non-small cell lung cancer and Type 2 diabetes, to be detected more quickly and accurately. Developed by a team of scientists at NTU, this method involves the direct isolation of blood plasma from blood in just 30 minutes using a coin-sized chip. Dubbed ExoArc, the patent-pending chip, measuring 3.5cm by 2.5cm and 0.3cm thick, has to be connected to a machine that pumps the blood sample into small tubes to create a high flow pressure which separates smaller biological materials from larger cells and unwanted materials. Compared to other devices, this prototype is able to siphon biological particles that are smaller than a micron, and attains high blood plasma purity by removing more than 99.9 per cent of blood cells and platelets precisely and gently, which will speed up clinical analysis and screening for biomarkers that are tell-tale signs specific to certain cancers and diseases. Assoc Prof Hou Han Wei, lead scientist of the research team, said that they are currently looking at using ExoArc to diagnose infectious diseases as the chip can be customised to isolate bacteria from blood.
- Also reported on Redhot.sg
Plasma Separation Chip
NTU develops a small chip that can separate plasma in half an hour to help accurately diagnose diseases
Lianhe Zaobao, page 7
NTU has developed a compact device the size of a coin that can quickly and accurately separate plasma within 30 minutes, which is twice as fast as using a traditional centrifuge. This helps reduce medical testing time and makes disease and cancer diagnosis more accurate. Through a clinical collaboration with NCCS, TTSH, and A*STAR, they successfully verified the function of the new chip and found that it can help diagnose non-small cell lung cancer with a sensitivity of up to 90 per cent. NTU Assoc Prof Hou Hanwei, who led the research, is a biomedical engineer at NTU's School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. He said the team's goal was to find a solution that could replace centrifuges and more quickly separate high-quality plasma for disease detection and research. He said: "By designing tiny channels in a coin-sized chip, we can effectively separate tiny biological materials according to size through unique flow phenomena without using any physical membranes or filters." Through NTUitive, the team had applied for two patents and published its research results in the American Chemical Society (ACS) journal ACS Nano.
Transforming Liquid Biopsy
ExoArc Chip Enables Faster, More Accurate Liquid Biopsy
by ACS Nano | Aug 2024 | Uncategorized
ExoArc, a high-throughput microfluidic chip that rapidly isolates platelet-free plasma from blood without labels or centrifugation. This breakthrough enables faster, more accurate analysis of biomarkers such as microRNA and extracellular vesicles, supporting early detection of diseases like cancer and diabetes. Clinically validated with high sensitivity, ExoArc shortens processing from hours to under an hour while improving biomarker yield, paving the way for more reliable diagnostics and precision medicine.
