STMicroelectronics, the largest European semiconductor manufacturer, announced earlier today that it has developed a chip that can detect strains of influenza in human subjects. Described as a "mini laboratory on a chip" by Reuters, the chip can scan for various strains of the disease, including the bird flu (a disease that has lead to 236 deaths worldwide) within 2 hours.

"ST sees new high growth opportunities in the healthcare market, especially in areas like patient care," STMicro's Asia Pacific chief executive, Francois Guibert of the new technology.

The chip has already sparked some interest from a variety of customers, including (naturally) hospitals. Rosemary Tan, the chief executive of Veredus, the laboratory that tested the chip, has also suggested airports as potential customers for the chip--a possibility that seems all the more immediate, in light of the recent airline TB scare.

It will be interesting to see how technologies such as these are received by advocacy groups: Scanning for pathogens for entry into public places could open up new territory for issues of personal privacy.

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