Sirris and MEDVIA are working together on Medical Diagnostics Goes Micro and Smart, a Vlaio-funded research-to-industry tech transfer project. Sirris has produced a series of articles on microfluidics to help industry better understand what it can provide to them.
ARTICLE 1 of 7
In many industries test samples are taken on a regular basis to check or analyse their composition. These samples take a whole course, from collection to appropriate action, which takes up (too) much time and resources. Thanks to microfluidics, these process steps can now be carried out on a “lab-on-a-chip” (LoC), at the point of collection, even by non-experts.
In several sectors such as medical, food, environmental or chemical, test samples are taken on a regular basis to detect contaminants or disease-causing agents (“targets”). Usually, these samples take an entire route, first from the place of collection to a central lab, then they are manipulated during various process steps, such as sample preparation with accurate dosing, mixing with reagents, heating, …, up to the final step where the target is detected and quantified. Then this test result is communicated back to the collection site for appropriate action. All of this can take a lot of critical time and resources.
Thanks to microfluidics, these process steps can now be carried out on a “lab-on-a-chip” (LoC) the size of a credit card. This allows analysis to be done at the point of collection, even by non-experts, and using only a fraction of the sample quantity and reagents needed for analysis in the lab. Working with microliters instead of millilitres also significantly reduces the reaction time, making results available after minutes rather than after hours.
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Article 2: Microfluidic chip design
https://www.sirris.be/en/inspiration/microfluidic-chip-design
Article 3: Manufacturing and prototyping techniques for polymer-based microfluidic chips
https://www.sirris.be/en/inspiration/manufacturing-and-prototyping-techniques-polymer-based-microfluidic-chips-brief
Article 4: Computer vision used for detection of fluid front in microfluidic chip
https://www.sirris.be/en/inspiration/computer-vision-used-detection-fluid-front-microfluidic-chip-part-4
Article 5: Closing event of project Medical Diagnostics Goes Micro and Smart
https://www.sirris.be/en/inspiratie/slotevent-project-medical-diagnostics-goes-micro-and-smart
Article 6: Lab-on-a-chip detection techniques
https://www.sirris.be/en/inspiration/lab-chip-detection-techniques-part-6
Article 7: Temperature control in miniaturised devices for fast medical diagnostics
https://www.sirris.be/en/inspiration/temperature-control-miniaturised-devices-fast-medical-diagnostics-part-7