Multiplex Detection of Infectious Diseases on Microfluidic Platforms

Abstract

Infectious diseases contribute significantly to the global disease burden. Sensitive and accurate screening methods are some of the most effective means of identifying sources of infection and controlling infectivity. Conventional detecting strategies such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), DNA sequencing, and mass spectrometry typically require bulky equipment and well-trained personnel. Therefore, mass screening of a large population using conventional strategies during pandemic periods often requires additional manpower, resources, and time, which cannot be guaranteed in resource-limited settings. Recently, emerging microfluidic technologies have shown the potential to replace conventional methods in performing point-of-care detection because they are automated, miniaturized, and integrated. By exploiting the spatial separation of detection sites, microfluidic platforms can enable the multiplex detection of infectious diseases to reduce the possibility of misdiagnosis and incomplete diagnosis of infectious diseases with similar symptoms. This review presents the recent advances in microfluidic platforms used for multiplex detection of infectious diseases, including microfluidic immunosensors and microfluidic nucleic acid sensors. As representative microfluidic platforms, lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) platforms, polymer-based chips, paper-based devices, and droplet-based devices will be discussed in detail. In addition, the current challenges, commercialization, and prospects are proposed to promote the application of microfluidic platforms in infectious disease detection.

Hospital Acquired Sepsis, Disease Prevalence, and Recent Advances in Sepsis Mitigation

“…The use of microfluidic platforms and multiplex technology offers many advantages in the diagnosis of infectious disease, including rapid operation times, low reagent volumes, high integration capability, and improved sensitivity and specificity [ 112 ]. Excellent reviews on the application of microfluidics are provided [ 11 , 100 , 113 ].…”

SERS-Based Optical Nanobiosensors for the Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease

“…In addition, they are capable of precisely controlling the volume of incoming liquid, allowing for semi-automatic or fully automatic quantification while minimizing the interference between different reaction systems, resulting in highly precise and reliable multi-measurements, which are crucial for clinical transformation in terms of disease diagnosis. In our daily lives, the most familiar representative microfluidic sensors are lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) sensors, which have many advantages other than traditional sensors, including good biocompatibility, ease of patterning, flexibility, portability, high sensitivity, high specificity, and a low cost [ 131 ]. Driven by the capillary force, LFIA sensors enable fluid automation detection without equipment or skilled operators.…”

An Integrated and Multi-Target Nucleic Acid Isothermal Analysis System for Rapid Diagnosis of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

“…As shown in Figure 5, all the RPT system assays using the four LAMP primer sets could detect and identify the Candida species with high specificity, meaning the assay could be used for the detection of Candida species and diagnosis of VVC for clinical samples. There have been many microfluidic systems or methods designed for nucleic acid detection [42,43]. Here, we compared the RPT system with relating works, especially detecting Candida species using LAMP.…”