This was discovered by a team of Korean scientists from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science of Technology.
The study’s leaders, Hyun-Gu Park, and Byeong-Yeon Won, explain that touchscreens work by recognizing electronic signals from finger touch. Thus, the presence of specific proteins and DNA is identified.
All electronic devices that have a touch screen function by “sensing” an electronic charge from the user’s body when touching the screen. Biochemicals such as proteins and DNA molecules also carry a specific electrical charge.
Scientists claim that touch screens can also identify the existence of a concentration of DNA molecules located on them. According to experts, this is the first step towards using touch screens to perform medical tests.
There are proteins that medicine uses to diagnose liver cancer. Thus, with the help of the new technology, scientists will be able to “see” the condition of the patient’s liver.
Researchers are currently developing a type of layer of reactive materials that can detect specific biochemicals, which they believe will allow different biological substances to be recognized with a touch of the screen.
The sample will be placed on a “tape” that can be stored in the phone or on a module attached to it.
The data were published in the German scientific journal Angewandte Chemie.