Next generation lab-on-a-chip for advanced diagnostics
Microfluidics technology has revolutionised key applications like drug development, stem cell research, microbiological analysis, medical diagnosis, personalised medicine and chemical biology, just to name but a few. The progress of microfluidics technology has opened a completely new market for Lab-On-Chip systems (LOC), which are miniaturised devices intended to replicate what happens in a real lab, drastically improving cost efficiency, parallelization, ergonomics, diagnostic speed and sensitivity. Considering that the largest majority of microfluidic chips is made of glass or silicon due to the mature manufacturing process and excellent optical properties, surface stability, solvent compatibility, one question is puzzling the LOC industry: how to deal with the increased complexity of systems required by the biotech industry? At Piemacs, a high tech startup company stemming from the pioneering research activities carried out at the EPFL’s Muralt’s lab, we propose a novel technology for the seamless integration of valves, pumps, injectors made with piezoelectric thin films onto polymer microfluidic chips, thus leading to the next generation low-cost and high performance LOC. This will allow monolithic fabrication of LOC using MEMS technology, benefiting from the advancements in MEMS manufacturing. This project will allow us to validate that the technological and business conditions exist to integrate piezoelectric thin films in polymers instead of glass, paving the way to a completely new and revolutionary application, which can potentially reduce the manufacturing cost of advanced microfluidic chips by two orders of magnitude, moving from hundreds of €/chip of most advanced Si-glass chips to few € of fully integrated polymer chips. This would further boost the adoption of LOC devices in research and clinical practice, also favouring the roll-out in regions of the world where fast and reliable microfluidic diagnostic tests are still not economically viable.