Development of Microfluidics for Biological and Medical Applications

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will cover the full scope of microfluidics and its impact in biotechnology. I will approach authors globally and establish a wide range of articles related to microfluidic applications within the biotech field. This will include diagnostics, cell biology, biotechnology, bioengineering, and unique fabrication techniques.

The study of microfluidics has gained much momentum in recent years. The push toward patient-centered care and the democratization of medical analytics and point-of-care systems suggests that the timing might be optimal for businesses to consider investing in microfluidics. In biotechnology, there have been a large number of applications that include the analysis of DNA–protein interactions, chromosome screening, systems biology, etc. which require miniaturized systems, in which case microfluidic systems are ideal candidates. Beer (Beer et al., 2008) developed the possibility of performing RNA extractions, reverse transcription, and PCR amplification analysis on one chip. They presented a method whereby they combine real-time and reverse-transcription PCR assays with digital microfluidics to isolate single copies of viral RNA for gene profiling. Between 2016 and 2017, Oxford nanopore’s MinION was used to conduct gene sequencing studies in-flight on the International Space Station (ISS). Nine sequencing runs were performed aboard the ISS over a six-month period, yielding a total of 276,882 reads with no apparent decrease in performance over time. These studies were performance-benchmarked with other sequencing platforms in terrestrial laboratories. With the availability of microfluidic control and rapid device design, 2018 sparked a few high-impact innovations in biopharmaceuticals, specifically in the area of drug manufacturing. A DARPA-funded program for biologics on-demand led to benchtop and point-of-care biopharmaceutical production platforms. The benchtop system is called Integrated Scalable Cyto-Technology (InSCyt), and the point-of-care system is called biologically-derived medicines on Demand (Bio-MOD) (Adiga et al., 2018, 2020). The Bio-MOD system had microfluidic components that provided better portability and accessibility to resource-limited regions. In general, both these innovations reduce the need for drug stockpiling and enable personalized medicines. On May 3rd, 2019, NASA launched a space mission from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station carrying a payload that also included a microfluidic organ-on-a-chip device produced by Emulate Bio (Boston, MA) and planned another mission in early 2020, labelled the Cosmic Zoë, co-developed with a company, SpaceTango (Lexington, KY.)

These landmark efforts have once again brought back the confidence within investors and companies to focus efforts on microfluidics. In addition, advancements in micromanufacturing technologies such as stereolithography, additive manufacturing, precision micro-CNC, microinjection molding, hot embossing, and high-throughput laser bonding have provided an opportunity for inexpensive and rapid production. The evolution of microfluidic foundries and MakerSpaces has enabled devices to be quickly prototyped without the need for a cleanroom and expensive equipment. The availability of sophisticated yet affordable and plug-and-play accessories for microfluidic devices like pumps, valves, connectors, and tubing provide simplicity for complex experimentation.

Dr. Abhay Andar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Bioengineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• diagnostics
• medical devices
• biotechnology
• bioengineering
• cell culture
• cell engineering
• biomanufacturing
• microfabrication
• nanofabrication