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 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,"