A HAND-HELD gadget that could speed the diagnosis of patients with liver and kidney disease is being developed in the region.

Scientists from Electrochemical Sensor Technology (EST) Limited, based in Castle Eden, County Durham, are initially concentrating their marketing at water treatment companies, which could also use the ammonia detectors.

The inventors believe the hand-held devices could speed and simplify the diagnosis of liver and kidney conditions by measuring the amount of ammonia in the organs.

The company's founders predict their invention could earn the company up to £6m within three to five years.

Increasing optimism about the new technology developed by the company has led to a £220,000 investment by the Centre of Excellence for Life Sciences (Cels), an agency set up to promote the region's healthcare economy.

EST will use the investment to launch a marketing campaign aimed at water treatment companies.

It is also planning to develop sensor technologies for healthcare applications.

Dr Keith Morris, director of markets and technologies at Cels, said: "EST's patented technology is well developed and is set to revolutionise the speed and accuracy at which critical information can be obtained and acted upon. This is what makes it particularly exciting for medical diagnostic applications."

Cels has been advising the company for two years.

EST was founded in 1995 by Dr Neil Marshall and Dr John Dobson.

Dr Marshall, the managing director, said: "The technology is an extremely sophisticated array of electrodes that work with a hand-held machine."