Toward the Development of Rapid, Specific, and Sensitive Microfluidic Sensors: A Comprehensive Device Blueprint

Abstract

Recent advances in nano/microfluidics have led to the miniaturization of surface-based chemical and biochemical sensors, with applications ranging from environmental monitoring to disease diagnostics. These systems rely on the detection of analytes flowing in a liquid sample, by exploiting their innate nature to react with specific receptors immobilized on the microchannel walls. The efficiency of these systems is defined by the cumulative effect of analyte detection speed, sensitivity, and specificity. In this perspective, we provide a fresh outlook on the use of important parameters obtained from well-characterized analytical models, by connecting the mass transport and reaction limits with the experimentally attainable limits of analyte detection efficiency. Specifically, we breakdown when and how the operational (e.g., flow rates, channel geometries, mode of detection, etc.) and molecular (e.g., receptor affinity and functionality) variables can be tailored to enhance the analyte detection time, analytical specificity, and sensitivity of the system (i.e., limit of detection). Finally, we present a simple yet cohesive blueprint for the development of high-efficiency surface-based microfluidic sensors for rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of chemical and biochemical analytes, pertinent to a variety of applications.

Computational modelling of a competitive immunoassay in lateral flow diagnostic devices

“…For example, the change in T/C ratio represents the signal corresponding to test and control lines. Other than the signal intensity, the various parameters that influence the design of heterogeneous immunosensors may be classified as geometric, molecular, and device efficiency parameters 34 . Several such parameters, like rate of antibody binding, 15 IC 50 (inflection point on concentration dependence), 14 Normalized concentration, 35 relative analytical signals 36 are listed in various literatures to help comprehend the impact on total capture.…”

Culinary fluid mechanics and other currents in food science

“…However, by leveraging microfluidic flow, the solute transport can be sped up by several orders of magnitude, leading to reaction-limited kinetics. We recommend the pedagogical reviews on transport and reaction kinetics in surface based biosensors by Gervais and Jensen [634], Squires et al [635] and Sathish and Shen [636].…”

Diagnostic plasmonic sensors: opportunities and challenges

“…70 Many researchers have also come up with unique portable lab-on-a-chip LSPR-based cancer biomarker detection schemes. 70,74,75 Fig. 4A shows the schematic representation of the sensing platform with flow and control layers that comprise the microfluidic chip.…”