Translational Micro- and Nanofluidic Technologies for Clinical Diagnostics: From Development to Real-World Applications

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Nano- and Micro-Technologies in Biosensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2026 | Viewed by 1418

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Wuhan, China
Interests: microfluidic chips coupled with nuclear magnetic resonance; application of mass spectrometry in proteomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microfluidic and nanofluidic technologies are advancing clinical diagnostics through precise, efficient, and miniaturized analyses, significantly reducing sample/reagent consumption while accelerating assay times via automation—enabling transformative applications in point-of-care testing and low-resource settings. Advances in chip design, materials engineering, and system integration have yielded compact, cost-effective devices with heightened clinical viability. This Special Issue highlights cutting-edge developments in micro/nanofluidic platforms for clinical diagnostics, emphasizing translational applications that bridge laboratory innovation and real-world implementation for biomarker detection including blood typing, tumor marker identification, infectious disease screening, and chronic disease monitoring. Priority will be given to submissions demonstrating 1) translational research with robust clinical validation pathways, 2) high-throughput systems enabling multiplexed biomarker analysis, and 3) integrated point-of-care platforms with minimal hardware dependency—all converging toward enhanced early diagnosis, personalized healthcare, and accessible diagnostics in resource-limited environments.

The objective of this Special Issue is to gather high-quality original research and reviews showcasing micro/nanofluidic innovations with demonstrable clinical translation impact. We foster interdisciplinary collaboration among engineers, chemists, material scientists, biologists, and clinicians to accelerate real-world implementation of these systems in diagnostic workflows. Contributions are particularly encouraged where they advance 1) clinical validation pathways bridging bench-to-bedside gaps, 2) scalable device architectures supporting point-of-care deployment, and 3) regulatory-compliant frameworks ensuring clinical adoption—collectively driving accessible, precision-enhanced diagnostics forward.

We invite submissions to this Special Issue advancing micro/nanofluidic research with clinical translation impact, including but not limited to, the following: chip design/fabrication strategies for clinical biomarker detection (e.g., cancer, infectious diseases); integration of electrochemical/optical biosensing modalities with automated sample preparation; lab-on-a-chip/point-of-care platforms, particularly wearable/portable formats validated in real-world settings; cost-efficient manufacturing processes enabling scaled production; exosome/single-cell analysis systems; and clinical performance evaluation studies. Comprehensive reviews addressing translational challenges—from material integration bottlenecks to regulatory pathways—are equally encouraged to catalyze field-wide advancement in this rapidly evolving domain.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Rui Hu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • micro/nanofluidic
  • clinical diagnostics
  • point-of-care diagnostics
  • translational medicine
  • biomarker detection

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 3767 KB  
Article
MagSculptor: A Microfluidic Platform for High-Resolution Magnetic Fractionation of Low-Expression Cell Subtypes
by Zhenwei Liang, Yujiao Wang, Xuanhe Zhang, Yiqing Chen, Guoxu Yu, Xiaolei Guo, Yuan Ma and Jiadao Wang
Biosensors 2026, 16(1), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios16010041 - 4 Jan 2026
Viewed by 367
Abstract
Heterogeneous expression of a single surface protein within one cell population can drive major functional differences, yet low-expression subtypes remain difficult to isolate. Conventional tube-based immunomagnetic separation collapses all labelled cells into one positive fraction and thus cannot resolve small differences in marker [...] Read more.
Heterogeneous expression of a single surface protein within one cell population can drive major functional differences, yet low-expression subtypes remain difficult to isolate. Conventional tube-based immunomagnetic separation collapses all labelled cells into one positive fraction and thus cannot resolve small differences in marker abundance. Here, we present MagSculptor, a microfluidic platform for high-resolution magnetic fractionation of low-expression EpCAM-defined subtypes within one immunomagnetically labelled population at a time. Arrays of soft-magnetic strips create localized high-gradient zones that map modest differences in bead loading onto distinct capture positions, yielding High (H), Medium (M), Low (L), and Negative (N) fractions. Finite element method simulations of coupled magnetic and hydrodynamic fields quantify the field gradients and define an operating window. Experimentally, epithelial cancer cell lines processed sequentially under identical settings show reproducible subtype partitioning. In a low-EpCAM model (MDA-MB-231), conventional flow cytometry, under standard EpCAM staining conditions, did not yield a robust EpCAM-positive gate, whereas MagSculptor still revealed graded subpopulations. Western blotting confirms a monotonic decrease in EpCAM abundance from H to N, and doxorubicin assays show distinct in vitro drug sensitivities, while viability remains above 95%. MagSculptor thus helps extend immunomagnetic separation from binary enrichment to multi-level isolation of low-expression subtypes and provides a convenient front-end for downstream functional and molecular analyses. Full article
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11 pages, 15875 KB  
Article
An Accumulation Pretreatment-Free POCT Biochip for Visual and Sensitive ABO/Rh Blood Cell Typing
by Pengcheng Wang, Mingdi He, Yan Ma, Yunhuang Yang and Rui Hu
Biosensors 2025, 15(11), 731; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios15110731 - 2 Nov 2025
Viewed by 840
Abstract
Rapid blood type detection in point-of-care testing (POCT) scenarios is crucial for various clinical treatments. In this study, we present a sensitive, cost-effective, and straightforward biosensing approach for visual blood typing that notably simplifies the procedure by eliminating any need for blood sample [...] Read more.
Rapid blood type detection in point-of-care testing (POCT) scenarios is crucial for various clinical treatments. In this study, we present a sensitive, cost-effective, and straightforward biosensing approach for visual blood typing that notably simplifies the procedure by eliminating any need for blood sample pretreatment. Our technique achieves this by directly trapping and accumulating red blood cell (RBC) clusters within a photolithography-based microfluidic chip, thereby bypassing complex preprocessing. By employing an antigen–antibody assay involving isoagglutinins A, B, and/or D on the RBC surface and their corresponding antibodies, we effectively determine blood types. When antibodies are present, the corresponding RBCs bind to the antibody-conjugated RBC clusters, which are subsequently trapped within the microfluidic accumulation chip, resulting in the formation of a visible bar. The blood group can then be readily identified by observing this visual bar with the naked eye or under microscopy. Notably, we integrate two continuous mixing units (Z and S) at the entrance of the biochip to improve mixing efficiency and accelerate the antigen–antibody interaction. This method demonstrates high selectivity, accuracy, and stability across various clinical blood samples. Moreover, the sensor operates with minimal sample volume (as low as 10 μL) and delivers results within 5 min. The fabrication cost of the PDMS-based biochip is approximately $0.2 per chip, and the limit of detection (LOD) is determined to be 3 × 106 cells/mL, indicating excellent sensitivity and affordability for practical use. Overall, this biochip provides a fast, low-cost, and reliable solution for emergency blood typing, particularly in resource-limited settings. Full article
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