New Microfluidic Device Diagnoses Diseases, Is Disposable and Cheap

Researchers have created new microfluidic device that diagnoses diseases. The new device can sort and manipulate micro- and nano-meter scale objects, which makes biomedical diagnosis of diseases cheap and affordable, according to a study at Penn State University.

The new device was created based on gentle acoustic vibrations, identifying it as acoustic tweezers. This new device allows biomedical diagnosis to be cheap and convenient in regions that have very little, but costly medical facilities.

"We believe our acoustic tweezers have tremendous potential, especially in diagnostics, with some applications also in therapeutics," Professor Tony Huang, who worked in the study, said in a news release. "We have now found a way to separate the fluid-containing part of the device from the much more expensive ultrasound-producing piezoelectric substrate. This makes disposable acoustic tweezers possible."

The microfluid device has a disposable plastic compartment that can be produced at 25 cents per unit. Also, electronic features for diagnosis adds up to just a few dollars, which creates a complete permanent system that can be used repeatedly, with a replaceable plastic microfluidic channels.

"We want to push this toward a commercial product, something that can help people and benefit society," Huang said.

The new device can detect and manipulate cells and even pattern them. Patterning cells is essential in studying cell-to-cell communication in biology labs or for drug screening.

"In drug screening, you want to examine how cells respond to drugs. With our acoustic tweezers, we can create a high throughput of single cells and see how they respond to drugs," said Feng Guo, lead author of the study.

The new micro fluid device is can diagnose diseases like tuberculosis and HIV, two diseases which are endemic in poor regions across the world. The device can be used in clinics, hospitals, labs and even at home, where it can make detections at an affordable cost.

The findings of this study were published in the journal Lab on a Chip.

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