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Microfluidics in medical applications: the challenge of microfluidics is to control liquids or gases on the micro scale. The developing use of microfluidics in diagnostics, drug delivery and implants is discussed. These technology advances include electrowetting and a piezo-driven membrane micropump.

Article Excerpt
The potential

The advantages of microstructures are not merely the savings in space and material. They also include the altered physical properties found in microdimensions such as the surface to volume ratio, wetting properties and interracial tension, and the ability to achieve quick temperature changes because of the small sample volume. These features lead to increased sample processing speed and enable reaction technology on the small scale, which is required for portable diagnostics.

Diagnostics

The biggest application of micro-fluidics has always been in the development of lab-on-a-chip systems. Tests that involve complex mixing and washing or heating steps such as antigen-antibody reactions, clinical chemistry and gene analysis are predisposed to minaturisation. The advantages are less probe and reagents use, portability and more analysis on a smaller space. As one example of many functional elements used in lab-on-a-chip systems, Figure 1 shows different designs of micromixers. In the microdimension, the mixing process is determined by diffusion. Therefore, large surfaces areas are created between the two compounds to be mixed and the mixing result can be achieved by a variety of fluidic geometries. Point-of-care products show the greatest potential for this technology.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

The largest group of products on the market are glucose monitoring systems. Glucose test strips for use with glucose meters take up blood by capillary forces and thereby apply microfluidic...

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