Title:Magnetic Digital Microfluidics for Point-of-Care Testing: Where Are We Now?
Volume: 28
Issue: 31
Author(s): Yi Zhang*
Affiliation:
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Sino-Singapore International Joint Research Institute, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639804,Singapore
Keywords:
Point of care diagnostics, POC, point of care testing (POCT), magnetic digital microfluidics, droplet,
diagnostics, microfluidics, lab on a chip.
Abstract: Point-of-care (POC) testing decentralizes the diagnostic tests to the sites near the
patient. Many POC tests rely on microfluidic platforms for sample-to-answer analysis. Compared
to other microfluidic systems, magnetic digital microfluidics demonstrate compelling
advantages for POC diagnostics. In this review, we have examined the capability of magnetic
digital microfluidics-based POC diagnostic platforms. More importantly, we have categorized
POC settings into three classes based on “where is the point”, “who to care” and “how to
test”, and evaluated the suitability of magnetic digital microfluidics in various POC settings.
Furthermore, we have addressed other technical issues associated with POC testing, such as
controlled environment, sample-system interface, system integration and information connectivity.
We hope this review would provide a guideline for the future development of magnetic
digital microfluidics-based platforms for POC testing.