Smartphone operable centrifugal system (SOCS) for on-site DNA extraction from foodborne bacterial pathogen

High-Performance Passive Plasma Separation on OSTE Pillar Forest

Plasma separation is of high interest for lateral flow tests using whole blood as sample liquids. Here, we built a passive microfluidic device for plasma separation with high performance. This device was made by blood filtration membrane and off-stoichiometry thiol-ene (OSTE) pillar forest. OSTE pillar forest was fabricated by double replica moldings of a laser-cut polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) mold, which has a uniform microstructure. This device utilized a filtration membrane to separate plasma from whole blood samples and used hydrophilic OSTE pillar forest as the capillary pump to propel the plasma. The device can be used to separate blood plasma with high purity for later use in lateral flow tests. The device can process 45 μL of whole blood in 72 s and achieves a plasma separation yield as high as 60.0%. The protein recovery rate of separated plasma is 85.5%, which is on par with state-of-the-art technologies. This device can be further developed into lateral flow tests for biomarker detection in whole blood.

Microfluidic devices for multiplexed detection of foodborne pathogens

The global burden of foodborne diseases is substantial and foodborne pathogens are the major cause for human illnesses. In order to prevent the spread of foodborne pathogens, detection methods are constantly being updated towards rapid, portable, inexpensive, and multiplexed on-site detection. Due to the nature of the small size and low volume, microfluidics has been applied to rapid, time-saving, sensitive, and portable devices to meet the requirements of on-site detection. Simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens is another key parameter to ensure food safety. Multiplexed detection technology, including microfluidic chip design, offers a new opportunity to achieve this goal. In this review, we introduced several sample preparation and corresponding detection methods on microfluidic devices for multiplexed detection of foodborne pathogens. In the sample preparation section, methods of cell capture and enrichment, as well as nucleic acid sample preparation, were described in detail, and in the section of detection methods, amplification, immunoassay, surface plasmon resonance and impedance spectroscopy were exhaustively illustrated. The limitations and advantages of all available experimental options were also summarized and discussed in order to form a comprehensive understanding of cutting-edge technologies and provide a comparative assessment for future investigation and in-field application.