The present and future role of microfluidics in biomedical research

Recent progress in the various lab-on-a-chip microtechnologies is reviewed and the clinical and research areas in which they have made the greatest impact are discussed. Lab-on-a-chip technologies in biomedical research and diagnostics Microfluidics exploits the properties of fluids trapped in submillimetre-scale spaces — the physics behind inkjet printing, DNA microarrays, lab-on-a-chip chemistry and much else — to useful practical effect. In the past decade microfluidic devices have shown considerable promise in diagnostics and primary research in the biological sciences. In this Review, Eric Sackmann, Anna Fulton and David Beebe analyse the progress seen in lab-on-a-chip microtechnologies in recent years and discuss the clinical and research areas in which they have made — and may make — the greatest impact. Microfluidics, a technology characterized by the engineered manipulation of fluids at the submillimetre scale, has shown considerable promise for improving diagnostics and biology research. Certain properties of microfluidic technologies, such as rapid sample processing and the precise control of fluids in an assay, have made them attractive candidates to replace traditional experimental approaches. Here we analyse the progress made by lab-on-a-chip microtechnologies in recent years, and discuss the clinical and research areas in which they have made the greatest impact. We also suggest directions that biologists, engineers and clinicians can take to help this technology live up to its potential.