Recent advances in thread-based microfluidics for diagnostic applications

Abstract

Keywords:Thread-based microfluidics Point-of-care Cotton Colorimetric Electrochemical A B S T R A C T Over the past decades, researchers have been seeking attractive substrate materials to keep microfluidics improving to outbalance the drawbacks and issues. Cellulose substrates, including thread, paper and hydrogels are alternatives due to their distinct structural and mechanical properties for a number of applications. Thread have gained considerable attention and become promising powerful tool due to its advantages over paper-based systems thus finds numerous applications in the development of diagnostic systems, smart bandages and tissue engineering. To the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive review articles on the topic of thread-based microfluidics have been published and it is of significance for many scientific communities working on Microfluidics, Biosensors and Lab-on-Chip. This review gives an overview of the advances of thread-based microfluidic diagnostic devices in a variety of applications. It begins with an overall introduction of the fabrication followed by an in-depth review on the detection techniques in such devices and various applications with respect to effort and performance to date. A few perspective directions of thread-based microfluidics in its development are also discussed. Thread-based microfluidics are still at an early development stage and further improvements in terms of fabrication, analytical strategies, and function to become low-cost, low-volume and easy-to-use pointof-care (POC) diagnostic devices that can be adapted or commercialized for real world applications.

Thread integrated smart-phone imaging facilitates early turning point colorimetric assay for microbes

“…Recently, the amalgamation of smart-phone to paperbased and thread-based devices has demonstrated signicant growth and accuracy in quantifying the intensity of the color. 9 In order to reduce the subjectivity in the detection of turning point, we have utilized a smart-phone to photograph the threaddevices for monitoring the color change. Later, we have utilized the image analysis procedure described in section above for detecting the color change in the captured images of thread devices.…”

“…7,8 Traditionally, microuidic devices are constructed using glass and polymeric materials like polymethyl methacrylate, polydimethyl siloxane, polyethylene terephthalate etc. 9 However, they demand arduous, exorbitant and tedious fabrication methods like photolithography, etching, micromachining and 3D printing, thereby hindering the deployment of polymer-based microuidic devices for costeffective POC assays. To overcome the aforementioned limitations, researchers explored the utility of cellulose-based substrates for developing open microuidic platforms.…”

“…[20][21][22][23][24] Moreover, just with the assistance of household tools like sewing needles or sewing machines, thread-based analytical devices (mTAD) have been fabricated. [25][26][27][28] In recent years there has been growing interest in using mTADs for numerous assays, 9 including enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting antibodies, 29 immuno-chromatographic assays, 30,31 glucose assays [32][33][34] and other applications. [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44] Furthermore, literature reveals that the utilization of TADs for colorimetric assays, with simple thread acting as a medium for holding test reagents and the white color of it providing a perfect background for colorimetric signal development and processing.…”

Metallic Pins as Electrodes in Low-Cost (Bio)Electroanalytical Devices

“…Important current trends in Analytical Chemistry, such as simplicity, miniaturization, reduction of costs and portability, have led to the exploration of the use of common mass-produced materials for the construction of analytical devices. The use of these materials (e.g., paper [1][2][3][4][5], sewing pins [6][7][8][9], office transparency sheets [7,10], thread [11], etc.) provides cheap, highly versatile, and, above all, easily available devices.…”

A Simple Strategy for Easily Assembling 3D Printed Miniaturized Cells Suitable for Simultaneous Electrochemical and Spectrophotometric Analyses

“…For instance, cellulosic materials such as cotton and paper (eg. filter, chromatography and office paper) have recently shown their great potential as substrates for fluidic systems and innovative analytical devices suitable for their employment in food, environmental and bio-medical analysis [21][22][23][24][25][26].…”