Advances in Biochips

WORLD JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES
Balisa et al. World Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

SJIF Impact Factor 6.647
Volume 6, Issue 11, 226-236 Review Article ISSN 2278 – 4357
ADVANCES IN BIOCHIPS, AND THEIR APPLICATIONS IN MODERN

SOCIETY
*Balisa Mosisa Ejeta and Getu Bayisa Wakjira
Department of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Wollega University, Nekemte,

Ethiopia, Post Box No-395.
Article Received on 1. INTRODUCTION

08 Sept. 2017, It is not exaggerating if we say that technological advances have
Revised on 28 Sept. 2017,
Accepted on 18 October 2017 affected all aspects of modern day life and continue to affect
DOI: 10.20959/wjpps201711-10410 exceptionally in an area that were once considered unrealistic. Biochip
is the latest sphere of this technological revolution arriving every
*Corresponding Author horizon of the globe for every walk of life. A biochip is a miniaturized
Balisa Mosisa Ejeta computer chip, which is a mix of electronic circuits for analyzing
Department of Pharmacy, electrical signals and tiny channels for the passage of fluids, usually
College of Health Sciences,
body fluids such as blood. There can be different types of biochips.
Wollega University,
Some biochips may be in the form of radiofrequency identification
Nekemte, Ethiopia, Post
Box No-395. (RFID) chip usually injected into humans and animals for real time
monitoring of parameters. A prosthetic interface chips is also
considered a biochip and so is a petri-dish full of lab-grown rat brain cells interfaced to a
personal computer.[1]
Figure 1. Biochip and Syringe.
The development of biochips came as a result of the on-going push of technology for
miniaturisation and automation. It led to the gradual miniaturisation and packaging of bench-
top bulky laboratory equipment into smaller and smaller spaces. This led to the use of
biochips as miniaturised mass production laboratories, where each chip is capable of carrying
www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 226

out thousands of biochemical reactions simultaneously. It is expected that as biochips evolve

into more powerful mini labs, they will soon be capable of identifying an ever increasing
number of disease conditions in a fraction of second. Combined with gene mapping and
protein sequencing, such systems will soon be available for the home care monitoring which
will be able to diagnose a wide range of health conditions from just a touch. It is expected
that biochips will be able to identify the early signs of a condition for the computer to treat, or
will transmit it to the general physician (GP) or hospital for treatment advice. Eventually, it is
anticipated that such biochip will most likely eliminate majority of the minor trips made to
the doctor’s chamber, thereby greatly reducing workloads and giving them more time to
concentrate serious complaints. They will become invaluable for testing and identifying
unknown fluids quickly and cheaply. Typically, a biochip's surface area is no larger than a
fingernail. Like a computer chip that can perform millions of mathematical operations in one
second, a biochip can perform thousands of biological reactions, such as decoding genes, in a
few seconds.[1]
Biochips are any microprocessor chips that can be used in Biology. The biochip technology
was originally developed in 1983 for monitoring fisheries, it’s use now includes, over 300
zoos, over 80 government agencies in at least 20 countries, pets (everything from lizards to
dogs), electronic "branding" of horses, monitoring lab animals, fisheries, endangered wildlife,
automobiles, garment tracking, hazardous waste, and humans. Biochips are "silently" inching
into humans. For instance, at least 6 million medical devices, such as artificial body parts
(prosthetic devices), breast implants, chin implants, etc., are implanted in people each year.
And most of these medical devices are carrying a "surprise" guest- a biochip.
In 1993, the Food and Drug Administration passed the Safe Medical Devices Registration
Act of 1993, requiring all artificial body implants to have "implanted" identification — the
biochip. So, the yearly, 6 million recipients of prosthetic devices and breast implants are
"biochipped". To date, over 7 million animals have been "chipped". The emergence of
biochip technology can be attributed to a decade which has gradually developed into
maturity. This industry is expected to bring rapid and significant changes in the life sciences
and medicine.[2]
With products already on the market, biochips are likely to have an increasing impact on
genetic diagnostics, drug discovery, and basic research applications. In addition to genetic
applications that focused primarily on the analysis of genetic material for defects or sequence

variations, the biochip is being used in toxicological, protein, and biochemical research.
Biochips can also be used to rapidly detect chemical agents used in biological warfare so that
defensive measures can be taken.[3]
The notion of a cheap and reliable computer chip look-alike that performs thousands of
biological reactions is very attractive to drug developers. Because these chips automate
highly repetitive laboratory tasks by replacing cumbersome equipment with miniaturized,
microfluidic assay chemistries, they are able to provide ultra-sensitive detection
methodologies at significantly lower costs per assay than traditional methods and in a
significantly smaller amount of space. So, corporate interest centers around the potential of
biochips to be used either as point-of-care diagnostics or as high-throughput screening
platforms for drug lead identification.[3]
2. APPLICATIONS OF BIOCHIPS
Even though microchip implantation technology has been widely used for pets and livestock
for a number of years, it has recently been developed for human use. In October 2004, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared a radio frequency identification (RFID)
microchip for medical use in humans. It is made by VeriChip Corporation, to whose board of
directors former Governor Tommy Thompson was appointed in July 2005. Currently biochip
technology can be adapted and utilised for purposes.[4]
1. To trace a person/animal anywhere in the world

Once the reader is connected to the internet, satellite and a centralized database is maintained
about the biochipped creatures, It is always possible to trace out the personality intended.[4]
2. To store and update financial, medical, demographic data, basically everything

about a person
An implanted biochip can be scanned to pay for groceries, obtain medical procedures, and
conduct financial transactions. Currently, the in use, implanted biochips only store one 10 to
15 digits. If biochips are designed to accommodate with more ROM & RAM there is
definitely an opportunity.[4]

3. To replace passports and cash money

The really powered biochip systems can replace cash, passports, & other records! It’s no
more required to carry wallet full cash, credit/ATM cards and passports to the market place.
Payment system, authentication procedures may all be done by the means Biochips.[4]
4. Medical Records
The technology used by VeriChip allows a hospital with a special scanner to read a unique
medical identification code in the microchip. Medical personnel can then input that code into
a computer database and quickly locate medical records for a patient. This could save
precious time during an emergency or reduce risks when treating a patient with dementia.[4]
5. Drug Discovery and Development

The field of drug discovery and development research gets more glamorous with the
diagnostics and treatment at cellular level.[4]
The notion of a cheap and reliable computer chip look-alike that performs thousands of
biological reactions is very attractive to drug developers. Because these chips automate
highly repetitive laboratory tasks by replacing cumbersome equipment with miniature,
microfluidic assay chemistries, they are able to provide ultra-sensitive detection
methodologies at significantly lower costs per assay than traditional methods-and in a
significantly smaller amount of space.[3]
Diagnostic biochip's paradigm shifting sensors are a cost-effective method for the direct and
continuous monitoring of medically important compounds, such as drugs and biomarkers. It
is first targeting the large, rapidly-growing market for electrical and chemical detection in the
pre-clinical research market where its technologies offer significant advantages to researchers
seeking more productive, continuous monitoring of multiple, concurrent chemical responses.
The larger market for DBC's chemical sensing technology is the pre-clinical drug
development market in which pharmaceutical companies and CROs spend approximately
$45B annually on the development of drug candidates. Diagnostic biochip's biosensor
technology will remove significant time and cost from this process by providing vastly
improved, real-time data to these companies, allowing for shorter testing periods with fewer
animals, faster rejection of unpromising drug candidates, and better and earlier prioritization
of promising candidates. In the long term, DBC will partner with pharmaceutical companies

to provide companion diagnostic sensors to drug candidates, and may also develop its own
independent diagnostic sensor product.[5]
6. Security
This technology is also being used for improved safety and security. Some organizations have
already begun to use implanted microchips as an electronic key to provide access to highly
sensitive area.[4]
7. Convenience
As with most technology, it can be seen as a timesaving convenience. Some night clubs in
Europe already allow patrons with microchip implants to pay with the electronic codes they
carry under their skin, and some in the U.S. have experimented with programming computers
to read RFID implanted microchips to accomplish such tasks as unlocking a car with a wave
of the hand.[4]
8. DNA microarrays
Microarray techniques are one of molecular analysis for proteins, DNAs, RNAs, antibodies,
antigens, enzymes and pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and virus. It also includes
hybridization of nucleic acids.[6] Microarray techniques are used for the production of
biosensors to enable simultaneous multianalyte analysis of specific markers. A biosensor is
an analytical device that uses a biodetector (enzymes, antibodies, nucleic acids, micro-
organisms or tissues) to perceive a target analyte directly, without the need for complex
specimen processing. Attachment of the target analyte to the biosensor creates a biochemical
reaction, which is converted to an electrical signal by a transducer, quantified and displayed
on a conventional screen. Biosensors may be classified according to their target molecules.
One of such molecules that need microarray is DNA profiling.[7]
Stimulated by emerging tools and technologies, DNA microarrays have moved far beyond
the laboratory. They now offer applications in areas as diverse as diagnostics, clinical
profiling, and screening genetically modified organisms. In recent years, DNA microarrays
have moved out of the research lab and into a wide variety of practical applications. "We
have seen the evolution of microarrays from being primarily a gene expression tool to being
used for many other types of applications," says Siobhan Pickett, director of genomic systems
for Molecular Devices. "We all expected that this would happen eventually, because the
microarray technology is just a tool. But it's really exciting to see how quickly and broadly

that's been happening." DNA microarrays, often known as chips or biochips, continue to find
their most common application in studies of gene expression and detecting single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs). "In business as a whole, gene expression is still dominant," says
Roland Green, chief technology officer and vice president of R&D for NimbleGen Systems.
"However, we see the bulk of the growth in new applications such as ChIP and arrayCGH."
Indeed, a profusion of new uses has emerged during the past two years. And growing
numbers of users are finding that, in the words of Jochen M±ller-Ibeler, product line manager
for DNA microarrays at Eppendorf, "Microarrays are nice toys to play with." Now Several
companies, including Affymetrix, Agilent Technologies, Applied Biosystems, and
NimbleGen, produce DNA microarrays that contain the entire human genome on a single
chip.[10]
9. Drug of abuse test

The new biochip array system will be launched with drugs of abuse test panel which detects a
range of analytes on a single chip. Some of drug classes detected on the biochip are
Amphetamines and Metamphetamines; opiates such as morphine, Normorphine,
hydrpmorphine, Ethylmorphine and Morphine glucuronides; phenylcyclidine methadone;
LSD; Barbiturates; Benzodiazepines; Cocaine and Cannabinoids including 17-Nor-THC-9-
carboxylic acid. Comparative studies have shown that biochip technology can dramatically
reduce analysis time for drugs of abuse panel. Savings on operator time and overall cost with
such an improvement in throughput are tremendous and enable the laboratory throughput to
increase substantially. Reductions in sample and reagent volumes per test are additional
features offering exceptional benefits of the new biochip array system coupled with the
ability to perform clinical tests in simultaneously.[7]
10. Biochips as glucose detector

The Biochip can be integrated with a glucose detector. The chip will allow diabetics to easily
monitor the level of the sugar glucose in their blood. Diabetics currently use a skin prick and
a hand-held blood test, and then medicate themselves with insulin depending on the result.
The system is simple and works well, but the need to draw blood means that most diabetics
don't test themselves as often as they should. Although they may get away with this in the
short term, in later life those who monitored infrequently suffer from blindness, loss of
circulation, and other complications. The solution is more frequent testing, using a less

invasive method. The biochip will sit underneath the skin, sense the glucose level, and send
the result back out by radio-frequency communication.[8]
The proposed principle of glucose detection is that a light-emitting diode (LED) in the
biochip starts off the detection process. The light that it produces hits a fluorescent chemical:
one that absorbs incoming light and re-emits it at a longer wavelength. The longer
wavelength of light is then detected, and the result is sent to a control panel outside the body.
Glucose is detected because the sugar reduces the amount of light that the fluorescent
chemical re-emits. The more glucose there is the less light that is detected.[8]
11. Biochip as oxygen sensor

The biochip can also be integrated with an oxygen sensor .The oxygen sensor will be useful
not only to monitor breathing in intensive care units, but also to check that packages of food,
or containers of semiconductors stored under nitrogen gas, remain airtight.[8]
Proposed principle of oxygen sensor in biochips is that the oxygen-sensing chip sends light
pulses out into the body. The light is absorbed to varying extents, depending on how much
oxygen is being carried in the blood, and the chip detects the light that is left. The rushes of
blood pumped by the heart are also detected, so the same chip is a pulse monitor.[8]
12. Biochip as Blood Pressure sensor

In normal situations, The Blood Pressure of a healthy Human being is 120/80 mm of Hg. A
Pressure ratio lower than this is said to be “Low BP “ condition & A Pressure ratio more than
this is “High BP” condition. Serious Effects will be reflected in humans during Low & High
BP conditions; it may sometimes cause the death of a Person. Blood Pressure is checked with
BP Apparatus in Hospitals and this is done only when the patient is abnormal. However, a
continuous monitoring of BP is required in the aged people & Patients.[8]
A huge variety of hardware circuitry (sensors) is available in electronics to detect the flow of
fluid. It’s always possible to embed this type of sensors into a biochip. An integration of
Pressure (Blood Flow) detecting circuits with the Biochip can make the chip to continuously
monitor the blood flow rate & when the pressure is in its low or high extremes it can be
immediately informed through the reader hence to take up remedial measures.[8]

13. Biochip will be used as a secured E-Commerce systems

It’s a fact; the world is very quickly going to a digital or E-economy, through the Internet. It
is expected that by 2008, 60% of the Business transactions will be performed through the
Internet. The E-money future, however, isn’t necessarily secure. The Internet wasn’t built to
be Fort Knox. In the wrong hands, this powerful tool can turn dangerous. Hackers have
already broken into bank files that were 100% secure. A biochip is the possible solution to
the “identification and security” dilemma faced by the digital economy. This type of new bio-
security device is capable of accurately tracking information regarding what users are doing,
and who are to accurately track information regarding what users are doing, and who is
actually doing it.[8]
14. For diagnosis and prediction of Diseases

Diagnosis basically includes the use of biochips in medical purposes such as prognosis,
treatment and diagnosis of wounds, blood clots and chronic diseases. In many parts of the
world, Applied Digital Corporation’s human implanted RFID microchip (verichip) is used to
help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, mental illness, Diabetes, heart problems and it also helps
to prevent kidnappings. In addition, it is expected that biochips are going to take medicine
from treatment to prediction of potential future diseases.[9]
3. HEALTH AND PRIVACY CONCERNS ON BIOCHIPS APPLICATIONS

1. Privacy Concerns
As with many new technologies, people fear what they don't understand. In the case of RFID,
consumers have many fears, some of which may be justified. This debate may be one of the
few in which you'll find the American Civil Liberties Union and Christian Coalition on the
same side. Human chipping has seemingly higher stakes than merchandise tagging and RFID
critics are concerned that human chipping may one day become mandatory. Aside from the
limitations of VeriChip scanning discussed in the last section, human chipping has profound
religious and civil liberty implications for some people. Some believe that human chipping is
foretelling a biblical prophecy from the Book of Revelation, interpreting the chip as the
"Mark of the Beast." To others concerned with civil liberties, the chip is bringing us one step
closer to an Orwellian society, in which our every action and thought will be controlled by
Big Brother.[11]
What's more, some critics say that relying on RFID as the primary means of security could
make human security checkpoints lazy and ineffective. If security guards rely solely on the

RFID anti-theft devices in merchandise and RFID technology of government-issued

identification to screen for criminals or terrorists, they might miss the criminal activity
happening right in front of their eyes.[11]
2. Health Risks
As with any surgery, health risks are involved. The FDA has reported on the specific risks of
the VeriChip microchip, some of which are: adverse tissue reaction, migration of implanted
transponder, electromagnetic interference, electrical hazards and magnetic resonance imaging
incompatibility.[4]
3. Identity Theft
Privacy advocates warn that carrying personal identification on an RFID microchip may lead
to more identity theft. Although the current technology requires a sensor to be very close to
the microchip and the microchips only contain an identification code, some have compared
this technology to wearing your Social Security number on your sleeve.[4]
4. Mass Implantation
Civil libertarians warn that human implantation has not received enough debate and may put
us on a slippery slope toward a system of human numbering. They contend that human
microchip implantation will first be sold to the populace as being beneficial, fun and
ultraconvenient, convincing many that microchip implantations are benign. Some worry that
mass implantation will lead to large scale abuse. For example, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter
reported that Columbian President Alvaro Uribe suggested that Columbian seasonal workers
could have microchips implanted into their bodies before being permitted to enter the U.S.
The senator’s reported objection to this idea centered on its lack of effectiveness, as
immigrant workers might be able to remove the microchips.[4]
5. Religious suspicion
Most critical Christians claim that RFID is considered to be the number of the Beast bearing
technology that is going to snatch the spiritual and human freedom that make human being
rejected entity on the face of God if they apply biochips to the right hand or forehead in the
line of Bible Verse on Revelation 13:16-18 which states as follow: “He required everyone -
great and small, rich and poor, slave and free to be given a mark on the right hand or on
the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either
the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed to

understanding this. Let the one who has understanding solve the number of the beast, for
it is the number of a man. His number is 666” (Rev. 13:16-18 New Living Translation).
According to them, such biochips store personal identification, and the information generated
from its use will be stored and maintained in a computer database. Our body becomes a
tagged asset that is monitored and whose behavior will be tracked. Implanting the microchip
in the body alters a person physically, mentally and ultimately- spiritually. The problem that
arises from the use of biochip in humans is more than an aesthetic, medical, political, or legal
issue. A time is coming when society and lives will be ruled by a self-imposed system where
mankind is monitored, analyzed, measured and evaluated by computers. In those times,
anyone who refuses to accept this system will be tortured then killed.[9]
4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A chip implanted somewhere in human bodies might serve as a combination of credit card,
passport, driver's license, personal diary, medical record, health status detector, identification
number, GPS and other versatile uses but with most controversial technology in history of
human being. A chip inserted into human bodies might also give us extra mental power. It
also allows many tests to be performed simultaneously in order to achieve higher throughput
and speed. A biochip's surface area is no larger than a fingernail but with technology
evolution and new fabrication techniques, these are getting smaller. Biochips are any
microprocessor chips that can be used in biology. Very similar to a computer chip that can
perform millions of mathematical operations in one second or less, a biochip performs
thousands of biological processes such as decoding genes in a few seconds.
The advent of biochips has brought about a revolution in healthcare and medical science.
Biochips tests are cost-effective, easier to administer and can possibly be used for in vitro or
in vivo monitoring, thus finding extensive use by professionals across defense, science and
healthcare segments.
5. REFERENCES
1. Frost & Sullivan, 2012. Emerging Applications of Biochips (Technical Insights). From
Laboratory Diagnostics to Home Diagnostics D4D1-TI. http://www.frost.com. Accesses
February, 2016
2. Analysis of Global Biochips Industry, 2012-2018;
http://www.reportlinker.com/p01518968/Analysis-of-Global-Biochips-Industry. Accessed
February 9/2016.

3. Nature Biotechnology 18, IT43 - IT44 (2000).

4. Anthony Gad, 2006. Legislative briefs from the legislative reference bureau. Legislative
brief 06-13. Human microchip implantation. Reference Desk: (608) 2660341 Web Site:
www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb. Accessed February 9/2016.
5. http://www.diagnosticbiochips.com/. Accessed on February10, 2016.
6. Biochips: the future of medicine, (2013). LexInnova. www.lexinnova.com. Accessed
February 9/2016.
7. Conal Timoney, Robin Felder, 1999. Biochip Technology of the Future: Today!: Journal
of Laboratory Automation. SAGE Publications.
http://jla.sagepub.com/content/4/4/86.full.pdf+html. Accessed February, 9/2016.
8. Mounika G.V & Lakshmi Sudha. K., 2010. Bio Chips. YUva Engineers. Transforming
young engineers for better tomorrow. www.Technicalsymposium.com
9. Choo Thomas, 2009. http://www.choothomas.org/urgentmessage.html. Accessed
February 10, 2016.
10. Peter Gwynne and Gary Heebner, 2005. Advances In Biochips - Array of Applications.
American Association for the Advancement of Science. Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print),
1095-9203 (online). http://www.sciencemag.org/site/products/chips_030405.xhtml.
Accessed February 10,2016
11. http://www.gvsu.edu/e-hr/what-is-rfid-83.htm. Accessed February 9/2016.

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WORLD JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

Balisa et al. World Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Volume 6, Issue 11, 226-236 Review Article ISSN 2278 – 4357

ADVANCES IN BIOCHIPS, AND THEIR APPLICATIONS IN MODERN

*Balisa Mosisa Ejeta and Getu Bayisa Wakjira

Department of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Wollega University, Nekemte,

Article Received on 1. INTRODUCTION

Figure 1. Biochip and Syringe.

www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 226

out thousands of biochemical reactions simultaneously. It is expected that as biochips evolve

www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 227

1. To trace a person/animal anywhere in the world

2. To store and update financial, medical, demographic data, basically everything

www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 228

3. To replace passports and cash money

5. Drug Discovery and Development

www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 229

www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 230

9. Drug of abuse test

10. Biochips as glucose detector

www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 231

11. Biochip as oxygen sensor

12. Biochip as Blood Pressure sensor

www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 232

13. Biochip will be used as a secured E-Commerce systems

14. For diagnosis and prediction of Diseases

3. HEALTH AND PRIVACY CONCERNS ON BIOCHIPS APPLICATIONS

www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 233

RFID anti-theft devices in merchandise and RFID technology of government-issued

www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 234

www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 235

3. Nature Biotechnology 18, IT43 - IT44 (2000).

www.wjpps.com Vol 6, Issue 11, 2017. 236

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