BLOOD testing is an important part of diagnosing medical conditions but sending samples away for analysis can be time-consuming and expensive. Now, scientists in the UK are using nanotechnology to develop a portable and low-cost blood-testing kit.

The new kit being developed by researchers at the University of Southampton in southern England will be used on site by doctors or qualified staff in general practice surgeries rather than sending samples to a laboratory, saving time and money.

Professor Peter Ashburn of the School of Electronics & Computer Science at Southampton University is leading the research project. He said: "If basic blood tests can be done in GP surgeries and give results instantly, this could save money and provide a better, faster service for patients.

"There are several applications for this technology. As well as diagnosis, the kits could be used for screening, monitoring the progress of disease and for discovering new drugs," he added.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the university's schools of Electronics & Computer Science, Medicine, Social Sciences, and Chemistry will work on the three-year project to develop new nanowires for mass-producing these novel blood-testing kits, funded by the UK's Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council.

The nanowires are made in the clean rooms in Southampton University's new Mountbatten Building. They are coated with a chemical that allows them to detect certain antibodies in the blood.

When antibodies stick to the tiny wires, they change the amount of electrical current that passes through them; the nanowires could be embedded into a tiny chip, acting as a sensor.

The academics are using nanotechnology that is similar to that commonly used in computer and TV displays to develop these kits.

According to Professor Ashburn, standard laboratory blood-testing procedures have limitations if taken out of the laboratory. As the need for fast diagnosis of complex conditions such as cancer increases, the need for portable testing kits has become more pressing.

"Standard clinical laboratory tests have limitations outside the laboratory, which can reduce the diagnostic impact of new protein biomarkers for complex conditions like cancer and chronic inflammation," said Professor Ashburn. "One-dimensional nanostructures such as nanowires are ideal for diagnosis as they can be integrated into microfluidic chips that provide a complete sensor system."

The potential for these technologies is enormous but implementing innovative healthcare technologies requires an in-depth understanding of the organisational, inter-professional and practical conduct of everyday work and organisation.

Therefore a large part of the research project is assessing the sociological aspects of putting this new technology into practice, and the changes that will be needed to incorporate them into patient care.

"We need to understand how this new mechanism for blood testing sits in relation to established organisational forms, professional knowledge and inter-professional relations," said Professor Susan Halford at Southampton's School of Social Sciences.

"In particular, replacing hospital lab tests with GP-administered tests requires a whole series of subtle and highly politicised changes to the organisation of healthcare. While the technology holds enormous potential, if it is to deliver the socially beneficial innovation so highly prioritised in public consultation, we need to develop in-depth understanding of how it can actually come into use."

Work on the new disposable kits complements other key research in this area at Southampton, including a handheld device to provide blood cell analysis in doctors' surgeries, being developed by a team led by Professor Hywel Morgan.

Work by the Nano Research Group involves collaboration with Professor Donna Davies and Dr Judith Holloway of the School of Medicine developing a microfluidic single-cell impedance cytometer that performs a white cell differential count. The system was developed in collaboration with Philips Research.

The system, which can identify the three main types of white blood cells - T lymphocytes, monocytes and neutrophils - is faster and cheaper than current methods.

The next step for the team is to integrate the red blood cell and platelet counting into the device. Their ultimate aim is to set up a company to produce a handheld device that would be available for about 1,000 pounds and which could use disposable chips costing just a few pence each.