» You are one of the scientists at the forefront of research into microsystems and microfluidics. What was it that fascinated you about this back in the early 1990s? Prof. Dr. Roland Zengerle: My generation watched Star Trek when we were young. There was the tricorder, a device the size of a smartphone today, with which you could analyze what was wrong with a patient in seconds. Ideas like that inspired me and many of my colleagues and spurred us on to carry out research into microsystem technology. In those early years – the 1990s – the vision that emerged has almost become reality now, apart from a few compromises in terms of the size of today’s analyzers and the scope of possible diagnostics. We currently have mobile test devices that perform complex analyses on body fluids. » How far has the miniaturization of laboratory technology already progressed? Zengerle: We are able to carry out diagnostics during a point-ofcare test with a machine that fits on a DIN A4 sheet of paper. Years ago, a large-scale laboratory needed a machine measuring around two by five meters to do this. Instead of two tons, today’s lab-ona-chip solution weighs only five to ten kilograms. And the trend is towards further miniaturization. However, there will still be limits to what is feasible in the future. A minimum amount of liquid is required for analysis and therefore the test cartridges need to be a certain basic size, because nowadays we detect analytes which only have a few molecules in 1 cm³ of sample. Photo: W. Sperl Interview//Life sciences such as medicine, pharmacology, and biochemistry are becoming increasingly important worldwide. The demand for analytical and diagnostic processes in the life sciences is growing. Thanks to major advances in microsystem technology and microfluidics, tests can now be carried out quickly and easily on patients at the point of care. Lab-on-a-chip solutions optimize processes in laboratory auto- mation. Prof. Dr. Roland Zengerle, one of the leading experts in microsystem technology and microfluidics, explains why these small systems are on the rise. About the person Prof. Dr. Roland Zengerle is a physicist and one of the leading experts in microfluidics, a branch of microsystem technology. He conducts research at the Institute for Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) at the University of Freiburg, Germany. www.imtek.de Life Sciences Microfluidics: Focus on miniaturization
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzczNDE0