Portable centrifugal microfluidic system for diagnostics in resource-limited settings

Abstract

The threats of disease outbreaks and exposure to biothreat agents, both accidental and intentional, demand field-deployable technology capable of rapid, sensitive, and accurate diagnosis. In order to address these public health concerns, we present a portable centrifugal microfluidic platform and demonstrate sensitive detection protein antigens, host response antibodies, and nucleic acids down to single digit starting copies. The nucleic acid detection utilizes an isothermal amplification via loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). The platform, which is composed of a compact optical system for laser induced fluorescence (LIF) detection, a quiet brushless motor, and an efficient non-contact heater, offers an easy-to-use system capable of performing sensitive biodetection in a constrained-resource environment.