Singaporean Scientists Invent Device That Detects Bird Flu

With bird flu on the rise — leading to a possible shortage that could affect our turkey supplies this Thanksgiving — a new device developed in Singapore may hold the key to identifying major poultry infectious disease agents.

According to Channel NewsAsia, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and Veredus Laboratories created a biochip called VereVet. This biochip uses one sample when testing out disease agents, as opposed to other testing methods that require multiple samples.

Tan Poh Hong, CEO of AVA, told Channel NewsAsia that VereVet has been in the works since 2010 and can identify more than just the bird flu.

"With the emergence of new strains, it may be a challenge to quickly identify the strain in question," Hong said. "The new Lab-on-Chip, capable of rapidly identifying multiple poultry pathogens in one sample, enables authorities to take appropriate actions."

Other diseases that can be identified using VereVet are salmonella, campylobacter, and Newcastle disease.

This post was originally published June 19, 2015