Microfluidics for COVID-19: From Current Work to Future Perspective

Spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly impacted the public health and economic sectors. It is urgently necessary to develop rapid, convenient, and cost-effective point-of-care testing (POCT) technologies for the early diagnosis and control of the plague's transmission. Developing POCT methods and related devices is critical for achieving point-of-care diagnosis. With the advantages of miniaturization, high throughput, small sample requirements, and low actual consumption, microfluidics is an essential technology for the development of POCT devices. In this review, according to the different driving forces of the fluid, we introduce the common POCT devices based on microfluidic technology on the market, including paper-based microfluidic, centrifugal microfluidic, optical fluid, and digital microfluidic platforms. Furthermore, various microfluidic-based assays for diagnosing COVID-19 are summarized, including immunoassays, such as ELISA, and molecular assays, such as PCR. Finally, the challenges of and future perspectives on microfluidic device design and development are presented. The ultimate goals of this paper are to provide new insights and directions for the development of microfluidic diagnostics while expecting to contribute to the control of COVID-19.

Automated summary

The spread of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on public health and the economy, requiring the urgent development of rapid, convenient, and cost-effective point-of-care testing (POCT) technologies to diagnose and control the transmission of the disease. Microfluidics, with its advantages of miniaturization, high throughput, small sample requirements, and low consumption, plays a critical role in the development of POCT devices. This review introduces common microfluidic-based POCT devices on the market, such as paper-based, centrifugal, optical, and digital platforms, and summarizes various microfluidic-based assays for diagnosing COVID-19, including immunoassays (such as ELISA) and molecular assays (such as PCR). The challenges and future perspectives of microfluidic device design and development are also discussed.