Three recent KU Leuven Stories articles highlight the research of the Lammertyn Lab and the microfluidic and biosensor technologies that also form the basis of the (i)SIMPLE approach used and further advanced within FORTIFIEDx.
Another kind of get-well card presents Blood2Collect, a bank-card-sized microfluidic cartridge for collecting an accurately measured blood sample at home. After a finger prick, pressing the cartridge draws the blood through a network of channels and valves, where two precise 10 µL samples are deposited onto filter paper for drying and subsequent laboratory analysis. The article also describes more advanced versions of the technology that can perform analysis directly on the cartridge.
The lab in your home pharmacy takes a broader look at biosensors and lab-on-a-chip technologies. The article explains how microscopic channels can guide blood or other body fluids through a miniature laboratory, where biomarkers can be detected quickly and precisely. The research includes self-powered chips, in which a simple press activates the fluidic process, as well as applications for point-of-care diagnostics and continuous health monitoring.
Finally, The end of the one-dayer shows how the same biosensor principles can be applied beyond medical diagnostics. KU Leuven researchers are developing a small sensor patch that can determine the sex of a chicken embryo before hatching by detecting a specific genetic marker in the egg.
Together, the three articles provide an insight into the versatility of microfluidics and biosensing, technologies that are being further developed within FORTIFIEDx towards integrated, rapid diagnostic testing for infectious diseases.
You can read the three KU Leuven Stories articles here:
- Another kind of get-well card: https://stories.kuleuven.be/en/stories/another-kind-of-get-well-card
- The lab in your home pharmacy: https://stories.kuleuven.be/en/stories/the-lab-in-your-home-pharmacy
- The end of the one-dayer: https://stories.kuleuven.be/en/stories/the-end-of-the-one-dayer