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GEN’s editor in chief, John Sterling, interviews life science academic and biotech industry leaders on important research, technology, and trends. These podcasts will keep you informed with all the important details you need.

Using new "lab-on-a-chip" technology, researchers at the University of Virginia hope to create a hand-held device that may eventually allow physicians, crime scene investigators, pharmacists, even the general public, to quickly and inexpensively conduct DNA tests from almost anywhere, without need for a complex and expensive central laboratory. The scientists are simplifying and miniaturizing the analytical processes so this work can be done in the field, away from traditional laboratories, with very fast analysis times, and at a greatly reduced cost.

During this week's podcast, Dr. James Landers, a professor of chemistry and mechanical engineering and associate professor of pathology, provides specific details about his group's device. Dr. Landers also discusses the ways this technology has matured over the past few years and he tackles the issue of when we might actually see the first approved lab-on-a-chip device on the market.

James Landers, Ph.D., is Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of Virginia.