Comments:Scientists say new medical diagnostic chip can sort cells anywhere with an inkjet

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HOW WILL THIS INVENTION AFFECT MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCES?

You mean medical research? I imagine it will have considerable application there. If patients can be diagnosed quickly, there will be more reliable hospital populations for retrospective studies (when you do the study not by setting up an experiment but by reviewing hospital records of patients who meet certain criteria).

In general, cheaper lab equipment is a boon to scientists in less wealthy countries because they don't need to invest as much money to be able to perform the experiments that they think up. It may also help graduate students and low-ranking scientists because the lines to use the equipment may end up being shorter.

Another question is this: These things are super cheap. Could any consumer products be made?