Microfluidic technology and its application in the point-of-care testing field.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), countries around the world have suffered heavy losses of life and property. The global pandemic poses a challenge to the global public health system, and public health organizations around the world are actively looking for ways to quickly and efficiently screen for viruses. Point-of-care testing (POCT), as a fast, portable, and instant detection method, is of great significance in infectious disease detection, disease screening, pre-disease prevention, postoperative treatment, and other fields. Microfluidic technology is a comprehensive technology that involves various interdisciplinary disciplines. It is also known as a lab-on-a-chip (LOC), and can concentrate biological and chemical experiments in traditional laboratories on a chip of several square centimeters with high integration. Therefore, microfluidic devices have become the primary implementation platform of POCT technology. POCT devices based on microfluidic technology combine the advantages of both POCT and microfluids, and are expected to shine in the biomedical field. This review introduces microfluidic technology and its applications in combination with other technologies.

Addressing the global challenges of COVID-19 and other pulmonary diseases with microfluidic technology.

COVID-19, an infectious pulmonary disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has profoundly impacted the world, motivating researchers across a broad spectrum of academic disciplines to gain a deeper understanding and develop effective therapies to this disease. This article presents an engineering perspective on how microfluidic technologies may address some of the challenges presented by COVID-19 and other pulmonary diseases. In particular, this article highlights urgent needs in pulmonary medicine, with an emphasis on technological innovations in the microfluidic manipulation of particles and fluids, and how these innovations may contribute to the study, diagnosis, and therapy of pulmonary diseases.

Organoid and microfluidics-based platforms for drug screening in COVID-19.

Proposing efficient prophylactic and therapeutic strategies for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) requires precise knowledge of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogenesis. An array of platforms, including organoids and microfluidic devices, have provided a basis for studies of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we summarize available models as well as novel drug screening approaches, from simple to more advanced platforms. Notably, organoids and microfluidic devices offer promising perspectives for the clinical translation of basic science, such as screening therapeutics candidates. Overall, modifying these advanced micro and macro 3D platforms for disease modeling and combining them with recent advances in drug screening has significant potential for the discovery of novel potent drugs against COVID-19.

Ultrafast multiplexed detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using a rapid droplet digital PCR system.

We report the first combination of droplet digital and rapid PCR techniques for efficient, accurate, and quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The presented rapid digital PCR system simultaneously detects two specific targets (ORF1ab and N genes) and one reference gene (RNase P) with a single PCR thermal cycling period around 7 s and the total running time less than 5 min. A clear positive signal could be identified within 115 s via the rapid digital RT-PCR, suggesting its efficiency for the end-point detection. In addition, benchmark tests with serial diluted reference samples of SARS-CoV-2 RNA reveal the excellent accuracy of our system (R2>0.99). More importantly, the rapid digital PCR system gives consistent and accurate detection of low-concentration reference samples, whereas qPCR yields Ct values with significant variations that could lead to false-negative results. Finally, we apply the rapid digital PCR system to analyze clinical samples with both positive and control cases, where results are consistent with qPCR test outcomes. By providing similar accuracy with qPCR while minimizing the detection time-consuming and the false-negative tendency, the presented rapid digital PCR system represents a promising improvement on the rapid diagnosis of COVID-19.