Disposable device for coeliacs

Earlier diagnosis of coeliac disease, a potentially life-threatening autoimmune condition caused by gluten intolerance, could soon be possible with a £10m (€13m) project aimed at creating a portable screening device.

The EC has partly funded a partnership of 20 organisations across Europe to work on the

(coeliac disease management monitoring diagnosis using biosensors and integrated chip systems) project. The aim is to develop a testing device that can be used in a GP's surgery to diagnose and monitor people with the disease.

'We will have a disposable, completely integrated polymer chip which is put into an instrument, such as a small laptop, which will have embedded communication abilities so that the results of the test are automatically sent to the patient's electronic medical records,' claimed project co-ordinator Dr Ciara O'Sullivan.

'You apply a finger prick of blood on to the chip, press a button and, in 10 to 15 minutes you will have the results,' she added.