RESEARCH
Paper-Based Microfluidics
Diagnostic assays created using simple and inexpensive materials have the potential to transform healthcare management systems in resource-limited settings. This change can be caused by making assays more accessible, more affordable, or by inspiring the development of tests that do not exist currently but would solve a considerable need. Microfluidic devices produced from patterned paper have emerged as a promising candidate for a general platform capable of supporting the development of these diagnostic assays.
We are interested in two aspects of paper-based microfluidics: (i) using the inherent stackability of patterned paper to develop three-dimensional microfluidic devices and (ii) expanding the role of paper in diagnostic assays.
Hematology
Hematocrit
The quantification of blood cells provides critical information about a patient's health status. We have demonstrated paper-based microfluidic devices that enable the controlled transport of red blood cells (RBCs) and the measurement of the hematocrit—the ratio of RBC packed cell volume to total volume of whole blood. The properties of paper, device treatment, and device geometry affect the overall extent and reproducibility of transport of RBCs.
Dried Blood Spot (DBS) Cards
Our patterned dried blood spot cards have the potential to permanently alter the way blood and plasma samples are collected on a global scale. Our approach will improve blood sample collection, stability, and integrity—leading to more dependable biomedical samples. Enhancing sample output provides highly accurate insight to patient health and enables personalized treatment plans.
Immunoassays
We have developed a paper-based device architecture for performing immunoassays. This device format, intended to disrupt the decades-long monopoly that lateral flow devices have on immunoassays, can facilitate a variety of assay formats (sandwich, indirect, competitive) and sample matrices (saliva, urine, blood) with little modification. Perhaps most importantly, the fluidic pathways patterned within our devices enable combining assays together in multiplex–multiple immunoassays or multiple types of assays (e.g., for enzymes, biomarkers). We have demonstrated the development of assays for pregnancy, malaria, dengue, HIV, and Ebola, among others.
