SP students behind biochip that speeds up detection of deadly viruses

17 Mar 2016

Todayonline.com, 16 Mar 2016 - Article featured SP’s Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (DEEE) students, Leong Guang Hao and Pavan Singh Gill, who developed an advanced disposable biochip that can potentially speed up the detection of deadly viruses such as Ebola, SARS and HIV. This innovation, done in collaboration with SP’s Centre for Biomedical and Life Sciences and the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, will mean that the equipment needed to diagnose these viruses will also be far more portable — from big machines to a chip smaller than the palm of a human hand. Pavan and Guang Hao worked on the chip for six months under the joint Polytechnic Student Research Programme, and their project was among 10 that received the best project award. The programme aims to expose students to future career possibilities in research and development while working with different institutions such as the National University of Singapore and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Mr Philip Lim Feng, CEO of Exploit Technologies at A*STAR, opined that it is important for polytechnic students to be exposed to research, and that he hopes the students will be inspired by the research and its processes. A similar news clip in Channel News Asia mentioned a team of RP students who developed a high resolution micro camera that allows airline security staff to screen meal carts without physical strain.