By Xinhua
Hangzhou (China) : A new diagnostic technology to detect epidemic diseases has entered the phase of clinical experiments, claimed a Chinese scientist.
Different from traditional methods that rely on antigen or antibody test, the new technology is based on genetic substances of the viruses, namely DNA or RNA, to confirm epidemic diseases such as hepatitis or AIDS, said Charlie Xiang, chief scientist of the Microarray Centre of US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Xiang was speaking at a forum on industrialisation of high-tech held in Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province.
Compared with traditional method, the new technology needs less blood as the sample – just one drop – could help testers discern more than 100 diseases at the same time, he said.
Since it takes days or even months for a body to produce antibody after infection, traditional methods couldn’t test out a disease during this period, while the new technology excels in this regard.
According to Xiang, clinical experiments usually take about half a year before a technology could be launched into market.