If you’re somebody with a horrible allergy that’s not usually accommodated at eating places or food producers, taking a chunk means taking your life into your palms — or mouth, I suppose. A new device developed at Harvard Medical College might quickly let you take a look at food for frequent allergens as an alternative of utilizing your self as your individual guinea pig.
It’s referred to as the integrated exogenous antigen testing system, or iEAT — I’m positive that’s only a coincidence. The researchers describe it in a paper published in the journal ACS Nano.
First you put a bit of food on the “antigen extraction device,” a single-use slide that does the mandatory chemical deconstruction. You plug that into the iEAT device itself, which is small and lightweight sufficient to suit on a keychain, and incorporates the electronics vital to research the ready food pattern.
Inside 10 minutes, it ought to inform you whether or not any given allergens are current, and if that’s the case, how a lot. That isn’t precisely lightning fast, however the options are slower, bulkier or extra harmful (i.e. simply consuming it). And the iEAT truly detects even smaller quantities than lab exams. It’s not the one tester on the market: There’s additionally the Nima, however that solely does gluten and it’s much more costly, and Ally, which did lactose in its prototype part.
Proper now the device is about as much as detect peanuts, hazelnuts, wheat, milk and eggs, nevertheless it may simply be configured to search out different issues: shellfish, pesticides and so on. The researchers examined it on a number of restaurant objects themselves and located gluten in a “gluten-free” salad, and egg protein in beer (gross).The entire thing supposedly prices $40, although of course the antigen extraction units are the place they get you — hopefully you’ll be capable of purchase in bulk. Regardless of the case, it’s higher than having your throat shut up or creating some horrible rash.
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