Practical High-Performance Lateral Flow Assay Based on Autonomous Microfluidic Replacement on a Film.

Although paper-based microfluidic devices are an ideal platform for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, it is difficult to achieve microfluidic control required for sensitive analyses such as ELISA on a paper substrate. Here, we present a novel lateral-flow test chip that can perform operations similar to a pump, such as flowing, stopping, and replacing a solution, just by adding the solution onto an inlet port. The chip was fabricated by laminating paper, film, and adhesive tape.

Paper-like Surface Microstructure Fabricated on a Polymer Surface by Femtosecond Laser Machining.

In this study, we demonstrate the precise control of fluid flow using femtosecond (FS) laser-induced microstructures. A microgroove structure inscribed on a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrate functions as a superhydrophilic membrane similar to paper. We first estimated the flow rate for pure water on microgrooves fabricated at various laser fluences in the range from 9.

A fine pointed glucose oxidase immobilized electrode for low-invasive amperometric glucose monitoring.

A low invasive type glucose sensor, which has a sensing region at the tip of a fine pointed electrode, was developed for continuous glucose monitoring. Platinum-iridium alloy electrode with a surface area of 0.045mm(2) was settled at the middle of pointed PEEK (Polyetheretherketone) tubing and was employed as sensing electrode.

Fabrication of Amperometric Glucose Sensor Using Glucose Oxidase-Cellulose Nanofiber Aqueous Solution.

Cellulose nanofiber aqueous solution, which remained virtually transparent for more than one week, was prepared by using the clear upper layer of diluted cellulose nanofiber solution produced by wet jet milling. Glucose oxidase (GOx) was easily dissolved in this solution and GOx-immobilized electrode was easily fabricated by simple repetitious drops of GOx-cellulose solution on the surface of a platinum-iridium electrode. Glucose sensor properties of the obtained electrodes were examined in phosphate buffer solution of pH 7.

New approach to a practical quartz crystal microbalance sensor utilizing an inkjet printing system.

The present work demonstrates a valuable approach to developing quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor units inexpensively for reliable determination of analytes. This QCM sensor unit is constructed by inkjet printing equipment utilizing background noise removal techniques. Inkjet printing equipment was chosen as an alternative to an injection pump in conventional flow-mode systems to facilitate the commercial applicability of these practical devices.

Study of a liquid plug-flow thermal cycling technique using a temperature gradient-based actuator.

Easy-to-use thermal cycling for performing rapid and small-volume DNA amplification on a single chip has attracted great interest in the area of rapid field detection of biological agents. For this purpose, as a more practical alternative to conventional continuous flow thermal cycling, liquid plug-flow thermal cycling utilizes a thermal gradient generated in a serpentine rectangular flow microchannel as an actuator. The transit time and flow speed of the plug flow varied drastically in each temperature zone due to the difference in the tension at the interface between temperature gradients.

Rapid and highly sensitive detection by a real-time polymerase chain reaction using a chip coated with its reagents.

On-site detection by flow-through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) microfluidic systems for rapid and highly sensitive analysis, are significantly desired for bioanalytical and medical research. The conventional continuous-flow PCR chips realized rapid detection, but their sensitivity was very low (10(6) to 10(8) copies μL(-1)). We improved this drawback by coating the chip with a PCR reagents mixture, and succeed to obtain a rapid and highly sensitive detection by using a segment-flow PCR system.

Ultra-rapid flow-through polymerase chain reaction microfluidics using vapor pressure.

A novel flow-through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) microfluidic system using vapor pressure was developed that can achieve ultra-rapid, small-volume DNA amplification on a chip. The 40-cycle amplification can be completed in as little as 120 s, making this device the fastest PCR system in the world. The chip device is made of a pressure-sensitive polyolefin (PSP) film and cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) substrate which was processed by cutting-work to fabricate the microchannel.

A practical liquid plug flow-through polymerase chain-reaction system based on a heat-resistant resin chip.

Flow-through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) microfluidic systems for fast, small-volume DNA amplification on a single chip are significantly impacting medical and bioanalytical research. We have fabricated an improved, practical flow-through PCR chip by weighting a pressure-sensitive polyolefin (PSP) film onto a cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) substrate. The substrate was cut so as to produce microchannels, and was used to amplify DNA using a small moving liquid plug, in contrast to conventional continuous-flow-through PCR.

6-Chloro-N,N-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine (CAT) sensor based on biomimetic recognition utilizing a molecularly imprinted artificial receptor.

We aimed to develop a 6-chloro-N,N-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine (CAT)-sensing system based on a biomimetic receptor of a molecularly imprinted polymer for CAT and electrochemical determination of CAT. A molecularly imprinted polymer for CAT was prepared by the polymerization of methacrylic acid (MAA) as a functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as a cross-linker with a template molecule (CAT) in dimethyl formamide (DMF). The polymer prepared with the ratio of these monomers (CAT:MAA:EDMA = 1:7.