The Microfluidic Revolution in Medical Diagnostics

A fast expanding field that has completely changed the way we think about healthcare is microfluidics. Small quantities of fluids, usually measured in microliters or nanoliters, are manipulated in tiny chambers or channels that are integrated into a microchip. Because of its high resolution, automation, low cost, and capacity to conduct diagnostic tests with small sample volumes, microfluidic devices have emerged as attractive point-of-care (POC) and customized medicine tools.Many of the most advanced medical diagnostic technologies are unavailable in developing nations; these technologies were created for air-conditioned labs, refrigerated chemical storage, a steady supply of reagents and calibrators, stable electrical power, highly skilled staff, and quick sample transportation.Due to their intrinsic miniaturization properties, low sample consumption, integration, and compatibility with a variety of analytical procedures, microfluidics-based platforms have become attractive substitutes for conventional methods in high-throughput drug screening.The current trend in microfluidics is to develop integrated devices that integrate various fluidic, mechanical, and electronic components or chemical processes onto a single chip-sized substrate, since the principles of microscale flow and species transport are well established. .Since early diagnosis can significantly improve recovery rates and stop the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, it is essential. However, timely disease detection can be difficult in many places with inadequate medical services.Rapid and effective analyses for successful intervention in areas such as biology research, infectious disease management, food safety, and biodefense are made possible by developments in molecular biology.By controlling fluid flow and transport processes at the microscale and analyzing and manipulating small fluid volumes and particles at small scales, microfluidic lab-on-a-chip technologies have paved the way for the creation of novel approaches to a wide range of scientific and medical problems.