The system uses an ink that holds living antibodies, which are then printed into tiny 'wells' on a substrate, which creates "a site for an antigen to stick" according to research assistant Chris Phillips. "This is then exposed using a chemical that will give you a signal, such as a colour."

While the technique has been tried before using inkjet technology, the research team, led by Professor Tim Claypole, is using conventional presses for volume production.

"The aim is to make the process faster and more accessible," said Phillips. He said that having proved the technique worked at a proof-of-principle stage, the university was now looking at patenting the development and hoping to benchmark it on a larger scale.

However, the two-year project comes to an end in September. "Whether we get additional funding, I don't know," said Phillips. "We need to find someone to take it further."

If brought to market, the technology would mean diagnosis for a range of illnesses could be carried out within surgeries rather than samples being sent to laboratories and may prove invaluable in humanitarian situations and remote areas, according to the university.

The project is supported by the Welsh government's Academic Expertise for Business, which is funded by the EU, in partnership with a range of companies such as Innovia Films.

Claypole said: "Volume printing is also the most practical method to achieve low-cost disposable sensor technology. This will take innovation from the bench to the bedside and develop the tools and technologies to move the process of diagnosis forward and bring it into the surgery and home."