Microfluidic

Human blood can typically only be stored for six weeks. It also needs to be refrigerated, which may be challenging in poor countries or remote locations. A new study, though, could lead to a method of drying blood for long-term storage.

Currently, in order to determine if someone has a urinary tract infection, their urine sample has to be sent off to a lab – it takes days to get results. Now, scientists have created a smartphone-enabled system that works in less than 25 minutes.

New MIT and Harvard research shows how versatile CRISPR is, putting the genetic scissors to work in diagnostic tools and timed drug delivery systems.

The placenta may be one of the least understood organs, but it’s important to study its effects on the health of a developing fetus. Researchers at Iowa State University have used microfluidic models of the organ, a placenta-on-a-chip, to see if, and how much, caffeine can cross from mother to baby.

​It was just a couple of months ago that L'Oréal announced My Skin Track UV, a wearable battery-free device that measures its user's ultraviolet light exposure. Well, the company has now unveiled My Skin Track pH, a wearable that monitors the pH levels of its user's skin.

​Ordinarily, it takes two to five days to determine if harmful bacteria are present in a patient's biological samples. Within that time, any infection that's present could get much worse. A newly-developed biosensor, however, is capable of analyzing samples on the spot.

This design for a smart wristband from engineers at Rutgers University promises a new generation of wearable health and environment trackers. The prototype device can wirelessly connect to a smartphone that then processes and displays a broad assortment of biomarkers including blood cell counts.

If robots are ever going to work alongside humans in the real world, they're going to need a softer touch. Harvard researchers have developed a new method for producing small-scale squishy robots, and demonstrated it by creating a flexible robotic peacock spider, driven by a microfluidics system.

When performing in vitro fertilization, it's important to use the "best" sperm possible. And while there are already sorting methods that select the fastest-swimming sperm, a new microfluidic device also ensures that they're the healthiest.

​A few years ago, MIT scientists developed a novel way to separate blood cells using sound waves. Now the team has demonstrated the process can isolate exosomes from blood samples, potentially creating a fast way to detect biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.

With little more than a standard inkjet printer, some silicone, and a sheet of polymer film, Stanford researchers have created a reusable diagnostic "lab on a chip" that costs just 1 cent to make. This new technology could help vastly improve disease detection worldwide.

​​When it comes to hazardous fluids, the less that researchers have to finely manipulate them, the better. It was with this in mind that scientists recently developed a new material that does something special when exposed to liquid – it rolls itself into a straw-like tube.​