Sept. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Scientists in Singapore have invented a handheld device for detecting bird flu that's cheaper and faster than existing methods, a development that may help contain the spread of infections in a pandemic.

Researchers at the city-state's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology said their prototype device, capable of identifying the deadly H5N1 flu virus in less than half an hour for as little as $0.20, could also be adapted to detect SARS, HIV and Hepatitis B, according to a study published in the online version of the journal Nature Medicine.

Health authorities are concerned H5N1 may mutate into a form capable of rapid transmission between humans, sparking a pandemic and killing millions. The new device may help save time and lives in a pandemic by allowing quick diagnosis of bird flu on location, rather than in the lab, the researchers said.

``To halt a pandemic emerging in low-resource settings, there is a need for low-cost, easy-to-use handheld units that decentralize testing,'' the authors, led by Juergen Pipper, wrote in the study.

The device uses droplets containing magnetic particles to isolate genetic material from a throat swab. It then purifies and replicates the material to a point where there's enough of it to analyze. It returns a result within 28 minutes, the authors said, compared with four hours for other tests.

The replication means the test needs about 100 times less raw material than devices sold by Roche Holding AG, Veredus Laboratories, Qiagen NV and Applied Biosystems Inc., according to Pipper and his colleagues. It also weighs about 200 grams and is about the size of a Rubik's cube, Pipper said in a Sept. 21 telephone interview.

A single test may cost as little as 20 to 50 cents, compared to $20-$50 for existing kits, Pipper said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Simeon Bennett in Singapore at sbennett9@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 23, 2007 20:42 EDT