Feb 13 2021 Read 2935 Times
Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a way of producing the soft-lithographic moulds used for fabricating microfluidic devices using low-cost 3D-printing techniques. Coupled with the open-source resources developed by the team, this alternative technology has the potential to accelerate uptake and development of on-chip diagnostic techniques in parts of the world where rapid point of care (POC) diagnoses are needed.
“Previously, techniques for producing the soft-lithographic scaffolds/moulds (microfluidic channel patterns) were time-consuming and extremely expensive, while other low-cost alternatives were prone to unfavourable properties. This development could put Lab-On-a-Chip prototyping into the hands of researchers and clinicians who know the challenges best, in particular those in resource-limited settings, where rapid diagnostics may often have the greatest impact,” said the study’s lead author Dr Robert Hughes.
New Technology Makes 3D-Printed Medical Diagnostic Devices Accessible and Affordable
February 5, 2021
Devices with intricate interlacing channels, the width of a human hair, that move minuscule amounts of liquids, and can be used to diagnose and treat complex diseases, can now be made using a cost-effective, quick, and reliable method.
A recent study by a team of scientists at the University of Bristol describes a method for the rapid development of complex microfluidic devices made of polymers using 3D-printed interconnecting microchannel scaffolds and open-source resources developed by the team.
This breakthrough technology is reported in the
Popularly called bedside testing, remote testing, mobile testing, or rapid diagnostics, clinical testing that can be performed at the site of patient care rather than in a laboratory, is the essence of point-of-care (POC) testing. POC testing tools are made possible through lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technologies that have gained wide popularit
3D printing microfluidic channels for lab-on-chip prototypes February 05, 2021 // By Nick Flaherty
Researchers at the University of Bristol have used 3D printing to accelerate development of lab-on-chip diagnostic systems with low cost microfluidic channels
Microfluidics underpin lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technologies for rapid diagnostics, and the shape of the channels are key.
The team at Bristol used low cost 3D printing to produce the soft-lithographic moulds used for fabricating these microfluidic channels down to 100 microns wide. A 5000-piece physical library of mix-and-match channel scaffolds can be printed for less than $0.50. Previously, techniques for producing the soft-lithographic scaffolds/moulds (microfluidic channel patterns) were time-consuming and extremely expensive, while other low-cost alternatives were prone to unfavourable properties,” said Dr Robert Hughes who led the study. “This development could put LOC prototyping into
Example 100-micron wide 3D-printed microchannel scaffolds, shown next to a 20p coin - the cost to print 1000 of these channels. Credit: University of Bristol Read Time:
New technology developed by the University of Bristol has the potential to accelerate uptake and development of on-chip diagnostic techniques in parts of the world where rapid diagnoses are desperately needed to improve public health, mortality and morbidity.
Microfluidic devices underpin lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technologies which are developed to provide the rapid diagnoses that are needed at point of care (POC) for the swift and effective treatment of many diseases.
Researchers at Bristol have developed a fast, reliable and cost-effective alternative for producing the soft-lithographic moulds used for fabricating microfluidic devices, published in the journal
New technology could accelerate development of on-chip diagnostic techniques
New technology developed by the University of Bristol has the potential to accelerate uptake and development of on-chip diagnostic techniques in parts of the world where rapid diagnoses are desperately needed to improve public health, mortality and morbidity.
Microfluidic devices underpin lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technologies which are developed to provide the rapid diagnoses at that are needed at the point of care (POC) for the swift and effective treatment of many diseases.
Researchers at Bristol have developed a fast, reliable and cost-effective alternative for producing the soft-lithographic moulds used for fabricating microfluidic devices, published in the journal