photo by: Courtesy: University of Kansas

Workers are shown in the laboratory at KU's Center of BioModular Multi-Scale Systems for Precision Medicine.

A KU lab that develops tests to detect a variety of diseases and ailments has received another multimillion-dollar grant from the federal government.

The University of Kansas’ Center of BioModular Multi-Scale Systems for Precision Medicine recently received $6.6 million in continued grant funding approval from the National Institutes of Health. The funding will be spread over the next five years.

The lab uses chips made of the same material used in compact discs to create a variety of medical tests. The technology involves putting a blood sample, or other such sample, into the plastic chip to enhance the sample for reading. The process makes it easier to spot a variety of conditions, including cancerous tumor cells, markers for certain types of strokes and viruses, including some related to COVID-19.

Professor Steven Soper is the director of the center and has worked to develop the technology in collaboration with researchers at the University of North Carolina, Louisiana State and Wake Forest.

The technology often produces test results quicker than other types of tests, and often does so with more precision than traditional testing technology, according to a KU press release.