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The present and future role of microfluidics in biomedical research

Abstract

Microfluidics, a technology characterized by the engineered manipulation of fluids at the submillimetre scale, has shown considerable promise for improving diagnostics and biology research. Certain properties of microfluidic technologies, such as rapid sample processing and the precise control of fluids in an assay, have made them attractive candidates to replace traditional experimental approaches. Here we analyse the progress made by lab-on-a-chip microtechnologies in recent years, and discuss the clinical and research areas in which they have made the greatest impact. We also suggest directions that biologists, engineers and clinicians can take to help this technology live up to its potential.

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Figure 1: Microfluidic publications in engineering, multidisciplinary, and biology and medicine journals from 2000 to 2012.
Figure 2: The development of visual chemotaxis assays over time.
Figure 3: Materials other than PMDS are being used for microfluidic device design.
Figure 4: Diagnostics in the developing world.
Figure 5: Rapid purification microfluidic systems.
Figure 6: Organ-on-a-chip assays for drug development and specialized diagnostic applications.

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Acknowledgements

We thank S. Berry, B. Casavant, P. Thomas and L. Strotman for discussions during the preparation of this manuscript.

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E.K.S. and D.J.B. wrote the manuscript. A.L.F. contributed to the design and execution of the literature searches that measured the quantity of microfluidic publications in various categories.

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Correspondence to David J. Beebe.

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Competing interests

E.K.S. and D.J.B. have patent applications pending on technology cited in this work. D.J.B. has ownership in Ratio, Inc., BellBrook Labs, LLC and Salus Discovery, LLC. E.K.S. has ownership in Salus Discovery, LLC.

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Sackmann, E., Fulton, A. & Beebe, D. The present and future role of microfluidics in biomedical research. Nature 507, 181–189 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13118

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