Paper biochips
Microchips for medical research were created from paper and tapeResearchers from Harvard University have created a prototype laboratory microchip for biological and medical research at a record low cost.
The technology described in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences uses ordinary pressed paper and tape instead of complex and expensive microswitches and pumps. A plate with a system of channels for the redistribution of the liquid under study is made of materials that cost only three cents.
The development of microchips for biochemical analyses is a fairly rapidly developing area. Their essence is quite simple - wells with a microscopic amount of reagents and channels through which the liquid under study is pumped are placed on one plate.
Wells, which are called biosensors, subsequently serve as indicators of the presence of a substance, and along with fairly simple compounds, sensors can selectively detect, for example, certain proteins in extremely low concentrations. The latter property is especially valuable in combination with the compactness of the circuit: one chip can carry hundreds of wells with various indicators and be used to diagnose a number of diseases at once.
To make a new chip, ordinary paper is first covered with an inexpensive plastic that can harden in the light. Further, according to the technology developed in the electronic industry, the future basis of the chip is illuminated by ultraviolet light, literally manifesting channels and partitions. The plastic hardens, and the paper with the formed liquid tracks is folded into several layers. Connecting holes for layers are made in it and the chip is almost ready. It only remains to cover it with a layer of protective adhesive tape on top and put it in a package to be sent to a hospital laboratory or research center.
Just a few days ago, on December 12, another team of scientists published a paper in which they built a microhydraulic system on a silicon substrate.
Microscopic pumps and valves were placed inside the chip, which were assembled and controlled by an external magnetic field.
The development of such systems has certainly become an important step towards future superminiature analyzers, but the clinical application of such a system is still relatively far away. The device from Harvard, on the contrary, is extremely easy to manufacture and cheap. With fewer potential opportunities, it will be able to get into clinics and laboratories much earlier.
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