Compelling standardized and high-throughput micro-/millifluidic plates for biomedical research: from laboratory to market

Microfluidics has demonstrated significant potential for advancing biomedical research. However, the widespread adoption of current microfluidic devices within the biomedical community is hindered by 2 major challenges: standardization and throughput. To address these issues, emerging micro-/millifluidic plates based on microtiter plate format have been proposed. On the one hand, the established standards for microtiter plates facilitate clear communication between microfluidic engineers and end-users, enabling untrained users to manipulate micro-/millifluidic plates directly without the need to be proficient in understanding the mechanisms behind the platform. On the other hand, micro-/millifluidic plates inherit the high-throughput capabilities of microtiter plates, enhancing their utility in applications such as organ-on-a-chip and point-of-care testing. This review is intended to provide a timely and insightful overview of micro-/millifluidic plates, covering their design strategies, liquid-driven systems, applications, and commercialization status. Additionally, the review discusses the challenges facing micro-/millifluidic plates and highlights emerging positive trends in this field. We believe that our unique perspective on micro-/millifluidic plates can facilitate innovation and accelerate academic transformation by appealing to the microfluidic community to establish a consistent chip development plan to match end-user expectations in the biomedical field.