Needle-Plug/Piston-Based Modular Mesoscopic Design Paradigm Coupled With Microfluidic Device for Point-of-Care Pooled...

Area of Science:

• Microfluidics
• In Vitro Diagnostics
• Nucleic Acid Testing

Background:

• Microfluidic systems are crucial for advanced diagnostics like population surveillance and rapid on-site testing.
• Widespread adoption is hindered by challenges in standardizing designs, managing fluid interfaces, reagent storage, and macrofluidic operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel modular-based mesoscopic design paradigm for microfluidic systems.
• To address challenges in macro-micro fluidic integration and enable self-contained microsystems.
• To develop an ultra-sensitive nucleic acid detection system for point-of-care applications.

Main Methods:

• A core "needle-plug/piston" structure with versatile variants was developed for complex fluidic operations.
• A "3D extensible" design architecture was incorporated for function integration and flexible throughput.
• The design was applied to create an ultra-sensitive nucleic acid detection system.

Main Results:

• The mesoscopic design paradigm facilitates easy coupling with microfluidic platforms, creating self-contained microsystems.
• The developed system achieved an ultra-sensitive limit of detection of ten copies of SARS-CoV-2 per mL.
• Large-scale pooled testing of 50 pharyngeal swabs was efficiently conducted with uncompromised sensitivity.

Conclusions:

• The novel modular mesoscopic design paradigm overcomes limitations in microfluidic system adoption.
• The "sample-in-answer-out" microsystem demonstrates exceptional performance for point-of-care nucleic acid testing.
• This approach is highly suitable for population surveillance and rapid diagnostic scenarios.