Patients are a virtue: advances in microengineered systems for clinical applications

Microscale technologies have been widely used in modern biology over the last decade, and have promised to revolutionize life sciences and biomedicine. However, the majority of microdevices developed to date have largely remained in the laboratory, with only a small fraction being applied in the field or clinic where their true impact on human health is best evaluated. Recently, microscale technologies have seen a rise in usage in applications with a clinical focus, indicating growing interest in this research direction. Here, we highlight the latest developments in microscale technologies designed specifically to handle, interrogate, and analyze human clinical samples for diagnostics and other applications.