Lab-on-a-chip technology: impacting non-invasive prenatal diagnostics (NIPD) through miniaturisation
Chaitanya Kantak1, Chia-Pin Chang, Chee Chung Wong
1Institute of Microelectronics, Agency for Science Technology and Research, 11 Science Park Road, Singapore Science Park 2, Singapore 117685, Singapore. kantakcs@ime.a-star.edu.sg.
Lab on a Chip
|January 24, 2014
Summary
This review highlights non-invasive prenatal diagnostics (NIPD) for microfluidics researchers. It covers NIPD methods, market potential, and future challenges in this growing field.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Genetics
- Diagnostics
Background:
- Non-invasive prenatal diagnostics (NIPD) offer a safer alternative to traditional invasive methods.
- The NIPD market exceeds one billion dollars, indicating significant commercial potential.
- Microfluidics technology is crucial for advancing NIPD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive review of non-invasive prenatal diagnostics (NIPD) for the microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip community.
- To highlight the importance and market potential of NIPD.
- To discuss current and future microfluidic approaches in NIPD.
Main Methods:
- Review of conventional diagnostic procedures, including invasive and non-invasive techniques.
- Detailed examination of fetal cells and cell-free fetal DNA as NIPD targets.
- Analysis of microfluidic strategies applied to NIPD.
- Survey of commercial NIPD entities.
Main Results:
- Conventional invasive and non-invasive diagnostic methods are discussed.
- Microfluidic approaches for NIPD, both historical and recent, are reviewed.
- Various commercial applications and entities in the NIPD field are presented.
Conclusions:
- NIPD presents a substantial market opportunity for microfluidics researchers.
- Further research and development in microfluidic NIPD are warranted.
- Future directions include addressing technical challenges and ethical considerations in NIPD.
