A thumb-sized chip could be the answer to people who suffer from indoor pollutants.
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday unveiled the world’s first DNA chip capable of detecting 21 types of harmful and allergenic bacteria within three to five days. Measuring 8mm by 7mm, the electrical hybridization chip is smaller than a NT$1 coin. The chip contains 21 probes, each containing the DNA elements of the 21 bacteria considered dangerous to humans.
Developed by the EPA and National Cheng Gung University, the chip can detect harmful air-borne bacteria, such as aspergillus flavus, aspergillus versicolor and chaetomium globosum, which are known to cause allergic reactions such as coughing, sneezing and runny noses.
PHOTO: CNA
EPA Environmental Analysis Laboratory Chief Hung Wen-tsung (洪文宗) said the chip has 98 percent accuracy, adding that the EPA was in the process of applying for a patent.
Starting in May, 30 elementary schools and kindergartens will be tested for mold pollution using the device.
Hung said that a petri dish is placed in a sampling pump to collect an air sample for a period of between 10 minutes and 20 minutes.
The cultural sample with the bacteria particles is then compared with strains of pathogen present in various bacteria. A matching strain indicates the presence of such bacteria in the air, he said.
The entire process can be completed within three to five days, he said, adding that this was a major improvement from a previous model, developed in 2008, which could only detect 10 target bacteria in one month.
The chip costs about NT$100 and can be reused, Hung said.
While the chip does not provide qualitative information such as the density of bacteria in the air, such a function “is our goal for the future,” Hung said.
The EPA said the average person spends between 80 percent and 90 percent of his or her time indoors and household allergens have become one of the biggest problems for urban dwellers.
Early detection of harmful bacteria in the air could alert schools and teachers of the need to clean up their classrooms, especially often-ignored corners where mold accumulates, Hung said.
‘ANGRY’: Forgetting the humiliations and sacrifices of ‘the people of the Republic of China’ experienced disqualified Lai from being president, Ma Ying-jeou said Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized President William Lai (賴清德) over what he called “phrasing that downplayed Japan’s atrocities” against China during World War II. Ma made the remarks in a post on Facebook on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Ma said he was “angry and disappointed” that Lai described the anniversary as the end of World War II instead of a “victory in the war of resistance” — a reference to the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The eight-year war was a part of World War II, in which Japan and the other Axis
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
‘OFFSHORE OPERATIONS’: Also in Dallas, Texas, the Ministry of Economic Affairs inaugurated its third Taiwan Trade and Investment Center to foster closer cooperation The 2025 Taiwan Expo USA opened on Thursday in Dallas, Texas, featuring 150 Taiwanese companies showcasing their latest technologies in the fields of drones, smart manufacturing and healthcare. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the event’s organizer, said the exhibitors this year include Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (Foxconn), the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer; AUO; PC brand Asustek Computer; and drone maker Thunder Tiger. In his opening speech, TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said he expected Texas to become a world-class center for innovation and manufacturing as US technology companies from Silicon Valley and Taiwanese manufacturers form an industrial cluster
A 20-year-old man yesterday evening was electrocuted and fell to his death after he climbed a seven-story-high electricity tower to photograph the sunset, causing a wildfire on Datong Mountain (大同山) in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林), the Taoyuan Police Department said today. The man, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was accompanied on an evening walk by a 20-year-old woman surnamed Shang (尚) who remained on the ground and witnessed the incident, capturing a final photograph of her friend sitting atop the tower before his death, an initial investigation showed. Shang then sought higher ground to call for help, police said. The New Taipei
RSS