Microfluidic chip to interface porous microneedles for ISF collection

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Porous microneedles (MNs) offer pain-free skin penetration for extracting interstitial fluids, crucial for diagnostics like blood glucose monitoring.
• Conventional microfluidic systems face challenges in separating extracted liquid from porous microneedle structures, necessitating additional processing steps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an integrated microfluidic system enabling direct analysis of liquids extracted by porous microneedles.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional systems by creating a hydrodynamic interface for seamless fluid transfer.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a microfluidic chip with an integrated porous microneedle array using standard MEMS processes.
• Development of a hydrodynamically designed interface between the microneedle array and microchannels.
• Fabrication of the porous microneedle array using a salt leaching and molding method.

Main Results:

• Successful realization of a microfluidic chip allowing continuous liquid flow through the entire structure.
• Demonstration of direct liquid extraction and analysis from a skin phantom using the integrated porous microneedle array.
• Validation of the hydrodynamically designed interface for efficient fluid transfer.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic system with porous microneedles enables direct, efficient extraction and analysis of interstitial fluids.
• This technology has significant potential for advancing minimally invasive diagnostic devices, such as continuous glucose monitoring systems.
• The integration of MEMS fabrication and advanced microneedle design offers a promising platform for next-generation diagnostics.