Applications of microfluidics for molecular diagnostics

Diagnostic assays implemented in microfluidic devices have developed rapidly over the past decade and are expected to become commonplace in the next few years. Hundreds of microfluidics-based approaches towards clinical diagnostics and pathogen detection have been reported with a general theme of rapid and customizable assays that are potentially cost-effective. This chapter reviews microfluidics in molecular diagnostics based on application areas with a concise review of microfluidics in general. Basic principles of microfabrication are briefly reviewed and the transition to polymer fabricated devices is discussed. Most current microfluidic diagnostic devices are designed to target a single disease, such as a given cancer or a variety of pathogens, and there will likely be a large market for these focused devices; however, the future of molecular diagnostics lies in highly multiplexed microfluidic devices that can screen for potentially hundreds of diseases simultaneously.

Rapid, low-cost diagnostic tools that can be dispersed throughout a community for easy access, possibly even in the home, would provide substantial benefit by allowing more rapid diagnosis and monitoring of disease and infection. UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript Early Development of Microfluidics10,16 UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript . UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript optical, electrical or electrochemical impedance, cantilever, quartz crystalline microbalance, surface plasmon resonance, and magnetoresistivity. UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript 흁 흁 흁 UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript 흁 UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript Dengue virus sequences UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript . UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript Mitsakakis and Gizeli developed an integrated microfluidic surface acoustic wave (SAW) platform for detec UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript UU IR Author Manuscript University of Utah Institutional Repository Author Manuscript