Existing tests look for a variety of antibody types.
Existing tests for roofs are virtually useless in protecting occupants in rollovers.
Madden said THG had been engineered to make it undetectable in existing tests.
Britain has never introduced a national prostate screening programme as existing tests are not precise enough.
Cancer screening is a growing field; existing tests are becoming more sensitive, and new tests are constantly developed.
A test now exists for THG, but few experts doubt other designer steroids are being made, or have already been designed to bypass existing tests.
It is particularly exciting that we have such a high success rate in the detection of prostate cancer, for which the existing tests are woefully inadequate," Dr Guest said.
The difference with existing tests is huge, says Van der Werf.
Mirkin says the chip is hundreds of times more sensitive than existing tests.
Most existing tests to screen for cancer are invasive or unreliable and thus aren't routinely used.
The bMCU test fills a gap and consequently complements and extends the scope of existing tests.
