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Applications of microfluidics and microchip electrophoresis for potential clinical biomarker analysis

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Abstract

This article reviews advances over the last five years in microfluidics and microchip-electrophoresis techniques for detection of clinical biomarkers. The variety of advantages of miniaturization compared with conventional benchtop methods for detecting biomarkers has resulted in increased interest in developing cheap, fast, and sensitive techniques. We discuss the development of applications of microfluidics and microchip electrophoresis for analysis of different clinical samples for pathogen identification, personalized medicine, and biomarker detection. We emphasize the advantages of microfluidic techniques over conventional methods, which make them attractive future diagnostic tools. We also discuss the versatility and adaptability of this technology for analysis of a variety of biomarkers, including lipids, small molecules, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, proteins, and cells. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of aspects that need to be improved to move this technology towards routine clinical and point-of-care applications.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this work was provided by the National Institutes of Health under grant R01 EB006124.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    Jayson V. Pagaduan, Vishal Sahore & Adam T. Woolley

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  1. Jayson V. Pagaduan
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  2. Vishal Sahore
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  3. Adam T. Woolley
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Correspondence to Adam T. Woolley.

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Published in the topical collection Capillary Electrophoresis of Biomolecules with guest editor Lisa Holland.

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Pagaduan, J.V., Sahore, V. & Woolley, A.T. Applications of microfluidics and microchip electrophoresis for potential clinical biomarker analysis. Anal Bioanal Chem 407, 6911–6922 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-015-8622-5

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