Paper-Based Microfluidic Devices for Biomedical Analysis

描述(由申请人提供)：本提案的目标是开发非常便宜的轻型诊断设备(该设备的成本，加上其运输和使用成本，应低于0.01美元)。这些设备必须易于在各种环境中使用，包括家庭医疗保健(用于监测慢性病、治疗和代谢功能)；疗养院和学校、体育赛事或野战军事行动；国土安全人员在紧急情况或灾害第一反应中使用；经济欠发达地区(作为检测个人和人口疾病的低成本方法)；以及操作简单、便携和低成本极其重要的其他应用(例如，食品和水安全与质量、农业、环境监测)。这一目标将通过开发基于图案纸的新诊断工具来实现。花纹纸是被疏水聚合物分隔成亲水纸区域的纸。纸张中的微流控装置具有重量轻(易于运输)、容易获得(几乎到处都有大量的纸张)和易于使用(它们不需要外部设备或试剂)的有利特征。该项目的具体目标是(1)扩大纸基微流控设备的诊断能力，(2)开发三种可直接应用于医疗保健问题的纸基微流控设备。第一个目标将通过开发混合和稀释纸张中的流体的设备，通过对纸张进行化学修饰来控制生物分子如何通过该设备来实现，以及通过开发基于普通电子设备的低成本定量检测方案来实现。第二个目标将通过制造设备来实现：1)糖尿病、肾脏疾病和尿路感染；2)肝功能；以及3)艾滋病毒、乙肝和丙型肝炎、衣原体和淋病。相关性：通过制造成本低、重量轻、使用方便的纸质诊断设备，这项研究旨在以更低的成本将疾病诊断带出诊所进入家庭，患者可以在那里独立监测自己的健康状况。纸基微流控设备可能是解决发展中国家一些诊断问题的理想选择，也是检测新出现的疾病和预测流行病的全球监测系统的组成部分。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this proposal is to develop lightweight diagnostic devices that are very inexpensive (the cost of the device, combined with the cost of its transport and use, should be less than $0.01). The devices must be simple to use in a variety of settings, including home healthcare (for monitoring chronic disease, therapy, and metabolic function); in nursing homes and schools, at athletic events, or in field military operations; by homeland security personnel, in emergency or disaster first-response; in economically less-developed regions (as a low cost method for detecting disease in individuals and in populations); and in other applications where simplicity of operation, portability, and low cost are critically important (e.g., food and water safety and quality, agriculture, environmental monitoring). This objective will be accomplished by developing new diagnostic tools based on patterned paper. Patterned paper is paper that has been partitioned into regions of hydrophilic paper separated by hydrophobic polymer. Microfluidic devices in paper have the favorable characteristics of low weight (easy to transport), ready availability (paper is abundant nearly everywhere), and ease of use (they do not require external equipment or reagents). The specific goals of this project are to (1) expand the diagnostic capabilities of paper-based microfluidic devices and (2) develop three functional paper-based microfluidic devices that can be applied directly to problems in healthcare. The first goal will be accomplished by developing devices to mix and dilute fluids in paper, by chemically modifying paper to control how biological molecules move through the device, and by developing low-cost, quantitative detection schemes based on common electronic devices. The second goal will be accomplished by fabricating devices to detect: 1) diabetes, diseases of the kidney, and urinary tract infection; 2) liver function; and 3) HIV, hepatitis B and C, chlamydia, and gonorrhoea. Relevance: By making paper-based diagnostic devices that are low cost, light weight, and easy to use, this research aims to take disease diagnostics out of clinics and into homes, where patients can monitor their health independently, and at reduced cost. Paper-based microfluidic devices may be ideal for solving some of the diagnostic issues in developing countries, as well serve as an integral component of global surveillance systems for detecting emerging disease and predicting epidemics.