STMicroelectronics is planning to market a disposable laboratory microchip that can confirm within about an hour a human case of bird flu at a limited cost, the European chip maker with a facility in Malta said on Wednesday.

The Franco-Italian group is developing a test that could be available to healthcare providers this autumn with Singapore-based medical diagnostics company Veredus Laboratories Pte Ltd.

“To be available in time for the next flu season, the single-test application will be a substantial breakthrough in enabling rapid identification of the infectious agent to limit the spread of the disease and speed patients’ treatment,” STMicro said in a statement.

The H5N1 avian flu virus has killed at least 79 people since 2003, according to the latest WHO tally which does not include some of the most recent cases reported in Turkey and Indonesia.

Victims contract the virus through direct contact with infected birds.

Veredus is developing an application, based on STMicro’s technology, to identify if a patient is infected with the H5N1 strain or a subtype of influenza in a single test that could replace the several tests currently used to detect the illness.

The diagnostic is built on STMicroelectronics’ “In-Check” platform, which is described as a complete laboratory on a chip.

The lab-on-chip uses a sample of blood or a swab from the throat or nose to detect the virus, which is read by a machine.

The companies, which declined to reveal price details, said they planned to target high-return niche areas such as airports and immigration points before moving into more mainstream markets, such as hospitals.

Veredus’ managing director Chua Chee Min said most “dip-stick” tests were only 80 to 90 per cent accurate while their latest product was 99 per cent accurate.

“The ultimate goal is to make this available in clinics,” Chua said.

The semiconductor group, which is battling fierce price competition in several of its markets, said this new product allowed it to further diversify its source of earnings.

Anton Hofmeister, group vice president and general manager of STMicro’s Microfluidic division, said the group was looking to apply its chip technology to other illnesses and hoped to announce similar partnerships soon.

“We are looking at several other diseases such as malaria, pneumonia and meningitis,” Mr Hofmeister said.