Microfluidic Technologies Using Oral Factors: Saliva-Based Studies

The Potential Role of Smartphone-Based Microfluidic Systems for Rapid Detection of COVID-19 Using Saliva Specimen

“…Rapid and accurate diagnostic tests can control this outbreak in public and healthcare facilities [2]. However, many modern and costly medical diagnostic technologies are not available to people in developing countries and resourcelimited regions [3].…”

“…POCT is crucial for managing human healthcare since it affords an early and fast diagnostic result [5]. Microfluidic systems, which have transformed diagnostic POCT in many medical and dental fields [3,6], are designed to perform measurements on small amounts of fluids with fairly high sensitivity and speed, without the need for any trained healthcare worker [3].…”

“…Most microfluidics studies have used saliva as a diagnostic fluid. Being appropriate for POCT, saliva has many advantages, since saliva samples can be easily stored and collection is fast, non-invasive, inexpensive, and safe for patients and healthcare providers and does not necessitate skilled personnel [3].…”

“…The smartphone carries out the whole analytical process on biological samples, including data collection, analysis, and result display. It has the aptitude to receive data from sensors and to control various actuators or send data to and receive data from other devices using wires or wirelessly [3].…”

“…Moreover, it is a feasible procedure when nasopharyngeal specimen collection is contraindicated [2]. [3]. Since alterations in many biomarkers such as immunoglobulins, cytokines, and nucleic acids are diagnostic for COVID-19 [10], fast and accurate detection of these biomarkers by employment of smartphone-based microfluidic systems can be helpful in early diagnosis of COVID-19.…”