LIVERMORE -- Your head aches, you're congested and simply getting out of bed is a chore. You pay a visit to your doctor, and within minutes -- using a simple cheek swab placed in a tiny box -- he knows precisely which virus or bacteria is causing the symptoms and prescribes the right treatment.

While this scene would be right at home in the "Star Trek" sick bay, it may become a staple in real-world clinics within the decade, according to Lawrence Livermore Laboratory chemical engineer Elizabeth Wheeler.


"It's basically like you're Xeroxing it," Wheeler said. "Once you've got enough of it, you can detect it."

The technique -- polymerase chain reaction (PCR) -- isn't a recent phenomenon. In fact, it turned 30 this year. Discovered in 1983 by Nobel Prize winner and UC Berkeley alum Kary Mullis, it's been used for identifying human remains, food safety, and bacterial detection.



Wheeler, whose husband is a San Ramon physician, said the project's goal is to have Fast PCR devices in every clinician's office, allowing patients to submit a sample and have it processed while the doctor goes through his checkup routine. Before the exam is over -- in about the time it takes to cook a bag of microwave popcorn -- the physician could make a decision on appropriate treatment.

"Everyone's been frustrated when you go in and its like, 'is it a virus or a bacteria?'" Wheeler said. "You could run this and they can say 'yep, you have a bacterial infection, here's the antibiotic,' or 'it's a virus, go home and rest.'"



"This opens up all kinds of diagnostic possibilities," Bustin wrote, including "carrying out PCR evaluations of a patient's sample whilst talking to the doctor."



Dr. John Leamon, head of biological research and development at CyVek, an American biotech company focused on health care, said rapid PCR could be a valuable tool in other areas where time plays a key factor. It could be used to detect pathogenic agents during military conflicts, he said, or to monitor food supplies and crops. Scientists could take a food sample, test it for harmful bacteria within minutes, and remove the tainted supply before it even ships.

Lab officials believe it could be useful during outbreaks of diseases like SARS. Scientists would be able to test passengers entering the country within minutes, rather than quarantining them for days.

Lab spokesman Steve Wampler said two unnamed companies have already expressed interest in licensing the technology, adding that a consumer version of the device would take at least five to seven years to bring to market.
