But many Covid-19 tests can give results within hours without sending the sample to a lab, and most of these tests use an approach called microfluidics. What are microfluidics? A microfluidics system is any device that handles small amounts of liquid. Fluid moves through channels thinner than a hair, and tiny valves can turn the flow on and off. These channels are made of materials such as glass, polymers, paper or gel. One of the ways to move liquids is to use a mechanical pump; another way is to use the surface charge of certain materials; and one more way is to use so called capillary action – commonly known as wick. One thing is clear, every nook and cranny of the human body is microfluidic. We could not be born or function without complex blood capillaries that carry food, oxygen, and signaling molecules to every cell. Like microelectronics, size is a key factor in microfluids. As components get smaller, devices can rely on the exotic properties of liquids on a small scale, can work faster, more efficiently, and have cheaper manufacturing costs. The microfluidics revolution has been quietly shouldering microelectronics technology. Another major benefit of microfluidic devices is that they require only a very small amount of liquid and can therefore be very small in size. NASA has been considering using microfluidic analyzers for their long Mars missions. The analysis of precious liquids – such as human blood – also benefits from the ability to use small samples. Example: A glucose meter is a super liquid instrument that requires only one drop of blood to measure a diabetic’s blood sugar. Chances are you have been using microfluidics quite often in your life. Inkjet printers shoot out tiny droplets of ink. The 3D printer extrudes the molten polymer through a microfluidic nozzle. A nebulizer for asthma patients will spray out tiny droplets of medicine. The pregnancy test relies on the flow of urine in a microfluidic strip of paper. In scientific research, microfluids can direct drugs, nutrients or any liquid to very specific parts of an organism to more accurately simulate biological processes. The future of microfluidics Microfluidics will be key to bringing medicine into a new, fast-paced, affordable era. Wearables that measure substances in sweat to track fitness progress and implantable devices that help deliver cancer drugs locally to a patient’s tumor are some of the next frontiers in microbiology. biomedical liquid. Researchers are developing complex, fascinating microfluidic systems called organs on a chip that aim to simulate different aspects of human physiology. In laboratories around the world, teams are developing tumor-on-chip platforms to test more effective cancer drugs. These patient-representative chips will allow scientists to test new treatments in a way that doesn’t entail the cost, suffering, and ethical issues associated with animal or human testing. Imagine going to the doctor, taking a biopsy sample and, in less than a week, using the scientists’ microfluidic device, the doctor can figure out which drug is most effective to remove the mass. your u. While that is still in the future, what we do know is that microfluidic will be an integral part of the future.