LONDON (TIP): Scientists claim to have developed a tiny under-the-skin implant which can predict a heart attack in advance by several hours. The device, developed by Swiss scientists, is just 1.4cm long, and can check up to five different substances in the blood around the clock and transmit the results to a doctor’s computer. The sensors target proteins, sugar and organic acids in the blood that provide vital health information. For patients with chronic illnesses, such as cancer or diabetes, the device could provide continuous monitoring and sound an alert before symptoms emerge. Scientists believe the implant will be especially useful as a chemotherapy aid. Currently doctors rely on occasional blood tests to assess a cancer patient’s tolerance of a particular treatment dosage. However, it is difficult to tailor the ideal dose for an individual patient.

The inventors said the tiny “labon-a-chip” could be used to give an early warning of a heart attack, or monitor cancer patients having chemotherapy . Giovanni de Micheli of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne said the chip can be “programmed” by coating it with chemicals which react with substances that doctors want to monitor, Sky News reported. “It comes in contact with fluids in the body. The sensors react to the presence of particular compounds in the fluids and send the data outside,” Micheli said.

A patch on the surface of the skin powers the chip and transmits the information via Bluetooth to a smartphone or a tablet, which then relays it on to the doctor. Sandro Carrara, another of the inventors, said the chip had huge potential . “This device can predict a heart attack in advance by several hours thanks to the metabolites released by the heart when it is suffering,” he said. The prototype is being unveiled at DATE 13, (Design Automation & Test in Europe) Europe’s largest electronics conference. The scientists hope the device will be commercially available within four years.