Bio chip

Introduction to a Bio chip:

A bio chip is a collection of miniaturized test sites (micro-arrays) arranged on a solid substrate that permits many tests to be performed at the same time in order to achieve higher throughput and speed. Typically, a bio chip's surface area is no larger than a fingernail. Like a computer chip that can perform millions of mathematical operations in one second, a bio chip can perform thousands of biological reactions, such as decoding genes, in a few seconds

A genetic bio chip is designed to "freeze" into place the structures of many short strands of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the basic chemical instruction that determines the characteristics of an organism. Effectively, it is used as a kind of "test tube" for real chemical samples. A specially designed microscope can determine where the sample hybridized with DNA strands in the biochip. Biochips helped to dramatically accelerate the identification of the estimated 80,000 genes in human DNA, an ongoing world-wide research collaboration known as the Human Genome Project. The microchip is described as a sort of "word search" function that can quickly sequence DNA.

In addition to genetic applications, the biochip is being used in toxicological, protein, and biochemical research. Biochips can also be used to rapidly detect chemical agents used in biological warfare so that defensive measures can be taken.

In recent years, a lot of progress has been made in the area of implantable biochip technology. The above quote from Mr. Small suggests that we are crossing the line between animal and human applications, and Hughes Identification Devices has been at the forefront of this development. Effective August 29,1993, the Safe Medical Devices Registration Act requires all prosthetic medical implants in humans to be identified with a rice-size biochip-the same kind that is being implanted in animals---which contains vital information. Hughes Identification Devices is the main supplier of these medical biochips. A recent article in Popular Science magazine titled, Future Watch: Body Binary (October, 1994) predicts, "Within the next ten years, we'll have miniature computers inside us to monitor and perhaps even control our blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol. Within twenty years, such computers will correct visual and hearing signals, making glasses and hearing aids obsolete."

As technology advances, the various uses for microchips and biochips seem to be limited only by our imagination---a truly frightening thought given the humanistic, socialistic, Orwellian-type society in which we live. Today, the most popular application of the implantable biochip transponder is for the purpose of animal, or pet, identification. But the day is not far off when Big-Brother's New-World-Order global government will "tag" humans with the same "animal" biochips.

When biologists and computer scientists work to combine strands of biological material with computer chips, they create biochips. A biochip is structurally similar to a traditional computer chip, except that it replaces the usual transistors with organic molecules, typically small strands of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA is the cellular material that contains all of the programming that controls the growth, development, and behavior of living cells, so the choice of DNA for the organic molecules is an obvious one. Although the exact construction of a biochip is anything but simple, the overall idea of the design is very simple. Essentially, a biochip looks and functions like a tiny ice cube tray.

The current, in use, biochip implant system is actually a fairly simple device. Today’s, biochip implant is basically a small (micro) computer chip, inserted under the skin, for identification purposes. The biochip implant system consists of two components; a transponder and a reader or scanner. The transponder is the actual biochip implant. The biochip system is radio frequency identification (RFID) system, using low-frequency radio signals to communicate between the biochip and reader. The reading range or activation range, between reader and biochip is small, normally between 2 and 12 inches.

To Know more Comment us