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Emerging microfluidics-enabled platforms for osteoarthritis management: from benchtop to bedside
Zhou Zou1,2, Xiaohe Luo2, Zhengkun Chen2,3
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Theranostics
|January 3, 2022
Summary
Microfluidics offers a promising solution for osteoarthritis (OA) by enabling better disease modeling, early diagnosis, and advanced therapy. This technology addresses critical needs in managing this debilitating joint disease.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Osteoarthritis (OA) is a widespread degenerative joint disease causing pain and disability with no current cure.
- Early detection and intervention are crucial for managing OA effectively.
- Existing OA management lacks reliable disease models, precise diagnostic tools, and advanced therapeutic delivery systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the applications of microfluidics in osteoarthritis (OA) management.
- To highlight microfluidics' role in addressing unmet needs in OA research and clinical practice.
- To explore the potential of microfluidics for OA theranostics, from benchtop to bedside.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on microfluidics applications in OA.
- Analysis of microfluidic platforms for OA modeling, drug screening, diagnosis, and therapy.
- Discussion of the integration of microfluidics for combined diagnosis and therapy (theranostics).
Main Results:
- Microfluidics provides versatile platforms for creating reliable OA models for pathogenesis investigation and drug screening.
- Microfluidic devices enable effective and precise diagnostic capabilities for early OA detection.
- Advanced microfluidic fabrication supports innovative drug delivery and therapeutic strategies for OA.
Conclusions:
- Microfluidics is a key enabling technology for advancing OA theranostics.
- Further development of microfluidic platforms is essential for clinical translation in OA management.
- The integration of engineering and biomedical approaches via microfluidics holds significant promise for future OA treatments.
