Applied Microfluidics: Diagnostic Tools for Global Public Health

Dear Colleagues,

In the last few decades, micro- and nano-scaled devices have gained great attention, such as in the design of user-friendly, rapid, reliable, and low-cost microfluidic cartridges as diagnostic tools for point-of-care (PoC) applications. For example, miniaturized laboratory workflows into a “credit card” sized format or lab-on-chip (LoC) using micro and nanofabrication technologies pave the way for a variety of diagnostic applications that will have a large impact on global health. Advantages over conventional systems are represented by the possibility to integrate different functions into one device incorporating channels of different sizes, reservoirs, reagents, pumps and valves, sensors, and detection systems to generate and quantify a biological readout. An LoC can be built in plastics or laminates and be produced by industrial scale-ups. This enables low-cost diagnostic testing with high-throughput, clinically acceptable results in a few minutes.

In addition, novel miniaturized microdevices have been developed by researchers around the world to purify samples that could be analyzed by high-level technologies like DNA/RNA sequencing, etc. For example, inertial-based microfluidic chips were applied to sort circulate tumor cells from whole blood, providing benefits, such as a purified sample for the analysis and early diagnosis of cancers. To fully exploit the potential of these micro/nano systems, platforms that integrate sample preparation and diagnostic tools need to be developed, offering a way to accelerate the translation of new diagnostic microtools for clinical applications.

Accordingly, this Special Issue seeks to showcase research papers, short communications, and review articles that focus on novel micro and nano systems used in diagnostics and biomedicine.

Dr. Max M. Gong
Dr. Gabriele Pitingolo
Dr. Christophe Vedrine
Guest Editors

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.

• lab-on-a-chip
• diagnostics
• sample preparation
• cell separation
• point-of-care