Global Security Newswire

Scientists at the Sandia National Laboratories branch in California are close to completing a $3 million effort to prepare a system capable of evaluating blood samples for harmful biological and radiological particles in one-sixth of an hour, ABC 7 News reported on Thursday (see GSN, Nov. 4, 2010).

The SpinDX system was conceived as a means of identifying human contamination by biological or radiological agents. The mechanism uses a centrifuge to separate the organic components in one droplet of blood, and promises to substantially shorten an evaluation process that now requires days to complete.

As a medical staffer is "taking your weight and asking you questions, in those 10 minutes, the device will run your blood sample and have answers available to the doctor for particular diseases," Sandia Biosystems Research Manager Anup Singh said.

The internally powered gear would be capable of conducting 20-30 daily assessments for a one-month period before fresh batteries would be required (David Louie, ABC 7 News, June 12).