Microfluidic and Paper-Based Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Systems for Decentralized Diagnostics and...

Area of Science:

• Molecular Diagnostics
• Biotechnology
• Biosensing

Background:

• Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is a rapid, isothermal nucleic acid amplification method suitable for decentralized diagnostics.
• Microfluidic and paper-based platforms offer compact, low-power, and field-compatible formats for molecular assays.
• The integration of RPA with these platforms enhances sample handling, reagent delivery, amplification, and signal readout.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in microfluidic and paper-based RPA systems.
• To explore applications across biomedical diagnostics, food safety, environmental monitoring, and One Health biosurveillance.
• To highlight emerging trends in intelligent diagnostic formats and identify challenges for practical deployment.

Main Methods:

• Review of integrated device architectures including centrifugal chips, capillary-driven platforms, microfluidic paper-based analysis devices (μPADs), electrochemical biosensors, CRISPR-assisted assays, digital microfluidic systems, and sample-to-answer cartridges.
• Examination of RPA applications in diverse fields such as respiratory viruses, infectious diseases, cancer biomarkers, food pathogen detection, and environmental monitoring.
• Analysis of intelligent diagnostic features like smartphone imaging, AI interpretation, and cloud connectivity.

Main Results:

• RPA-based microfluidic and paper devices show significant progress in biomedical diagnostics, food safety, and environmental surveillance.
• Integrated systems demonstrate potential for rapid detection of pathogens, biomarkers, and antimicrobial resistance.
• Emerging intelligent formats incorporate AI, smartphone imaging, and cloud connectivity for enhanced portability and decision-making.

Conclusions:

• The convergence of RPA chemistry with microfluidics, paper devices, CRISPR, electrochemical readout, and data interpretation is driving innovation in molecular diagnostics.
• Continued development is needed to address challenges in sample preparation, reagent stability, quantitative reliability, and regulatory validation.
• These integrated systems promise more robust, accessible, and intelligent molecular diagnostic workflows for diverse applications.