Micropump enables compact medical system for fast diagnosis of hospital germs

The mp6 micropumps from Bartels Mikrotechnik GmbH are suitable for pumping liquids and gases for a variety of different applications. Combined with the integrable controller module mp6-OEM miniature and mobile devices are possible.

An application of that type was successfully achieved in 2013 in a co-operation project of the Austrian Gesundheits-Cluster Oberösterreich. The project goal was the automation of “Genspeed”, a medical system for fast diagnosis of hospital germs of Greiner Bio-One International AG. The newly developed on-spot instant diagnosis device “Genspeed R2” is able to verify the existence of different infectious germs - among others, antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA at the human body - from different samples within 75 minutes.

Technological core elements of the device are a microfluidic-chip and a miniaturized automated dispensing system based on micropumps mp6. Different reagents can be disposed with microliter accuracy into the inlet opening of the microfluidic chip. The controlled liquid volumes are applied precisely timed and in the correct succession so that the test result will be shown on a computer screen in short time. This method delivers results much faster than the regular diagnosis chain via a sample shipment to a laboratory. This is a perfect example of the capability of microfluidics in respect to optimization of standard processes, reduction of waiting times – and therefore costs – as well as on-spot applications.

Contact: Bartels Mikrotechnik GmbH
microEngineering@bartels-mikrotechnik.de