Microfluidic Barcode Biochips for High-Throughput Real-Time Biomolecule and Single-Cell Screening

Abstract

The real-time screening of biomolecules and single cells in biochips is extremely important for disease prediction and diagnosis, cellular analysis, and life science research. Barcode biochip technology, which is integrated with microfluidics, typically comprises barcode array, sample loading, and reaction unit array chips. Here, we present a review of microfluidics barcode biochip analytical approaches for the high-throughput screening of biomolecules and single cells, including protein biomarkers, microRNA (miRNA), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), single-cell secreted proteins, single-cell exosomes, and cell interactions. We begin with an overview of current high-throughput detection and analysis approaches. Following this, we outline recent improvements in microfluidic devices for biomolecule and single-cell detection, highlighting the benefits and limitations of these devices. This paper focuses on the research and development of microfluidic barcode biochips, covering their self-assembly substrate materials and their specific applications with biomolecules and single cells. Looking forward, we explore the prospects and challenges of this technology, with the aim of contributing toward the use of microfluidic barcode detection biochips in medical diagnostics and therapies, and their large-scale commercialization.