title: Lab on a CD.
abstract: In this paper, centrifuge-based microfluidic platforms are reviewed and compared with other popular microfluidic propulsion methods. The underlying physical principles of centrifugal pumping in microfluidic systems are presented and the various centrifuge fluidic functions, such as valving, decanting, calibration, mixing, metering, heating, sample splitting, and separation, are introduced. Those fluidic functions have been combined with analytical measurement techniques, such as optical imaging, absorbance, and fluorescence spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, to make the centrifugal platform a powerful solution for medical and clinical diagnostics and high throughput screening (HTS) in drug discovery. Applications of a compact disc (CD)-based centrifuge platform analyzed in this review include two-point calibration of an optode-based ion sensor, an automated immunoassay platform, multiple parallel screening assays, and cellular-based assays. The use of modified commercial CD drives for high-resolution optical imaging is discussed as well. From a broader perspective, we compare technical barriers involved in applying microfluidics for sensing and diagnostic use and applying such techniques to HTS. The latter poses less challenges and explains why HTS products based on a CD fluidic platform are already commercially available, whereas we might have to wait longer to see commercial CD-based diagnostics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Madou
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zoval
authors.forename: Guangyao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Horacio
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kido
authors.forename: Jitae
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Nahui
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D002458:Cell Fractionation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D016250:Compact Disks; D004867:Equipment Design; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014461:Ultracentrifugation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*