Abstract
The recent global pandemics have highlighted the importance of Point-of-Care (PoC) diagnostics for detecting diseases and viruses as well as monitoring health conditions. The development of portable and cost-effective PoC devices can improve hospital patient throughput and increase access to diagnostic care in areas without laboratory infrastructure or trained personnel. Microfluidic devices allow for laboratory analyses using micro-volumes of samples. However, these approaches still face challenges such as fabrication cost, time, technique, and effectiveness. This study aimed to develop and prototype a low-cost, disposable paper-based microfluidic device for point-of-care diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) using non-invasive methods.
The materials, device assembly method, and method of measurement were all unique to this study. Moreover, by incorporating ‘raw’ anion exchange resin into a paper-based microfluidic device via the stacking of readily available filter paper, pH paper, and adhesive tape, it is anticipated that the device will be cost-effective, easy to assemble, and convenient to transport. We envisioned that the distance-based indication of chloride concentration measurement would enable test results to be read visually immediately after the test without the need for professionally trained personnel and extensive clinical analysis instruments. Although the distance-based colour change indication of chloride concentration was inconclusive within the scope of the current study, the materials, device design aspect, and assembly method demonstrated in this study open up a plethora of future opportunities in both sweat-based CF screening as well as within other applications such as agriculture, water quality, sports, etcetera.