» Microsystem technology and microfluidics only really gained in importance with the coronavirus pandemic, didn’t they? Zengerle: Yes and no. During the pandemic, new diagnostic procedures and devices were developed at full speed and brought to market, such as PCR test devices that can detect pathogens extremely sensitively and reliably in 15 to 30 minutes. That saved us time, since we were able to shorten the traditional route via a large laboratory. But what hardly anyone remembers these days is that the infamous moose test in the automotive industry in 1997 was a real accelerator for microsystem technology. At the time, a relatively new model from a well-known German car manufacturer flipped onto its roof during a skid test. Microsystem technology in the form of modern acceleration and angular rate sensors has made a significant contribution to solving this problem. » Where are products from your research area used today? Zengerle: There are around 100 or more sensors installed as components in a car, several dozen sensors in smartphones, and even fitness wristbands contain microsystem technology. Today, the smallest systems have established themselves in our everyday lives across the board and across all industries, usually without us being aware of it. Microfluidics has also produced many products, although they are less common in everyday applications. One example is the chips that make it possible to sequence a human genome within just one day and at a cost of a few hundred euros. 25 years ago, that would have cost three billion euros and would have taken several years. Nowadays, there are hardly and modern technologies in life sciences that are developed without knowledge of microfluidics. The volumes to be analyzed are getting ever smaller, the requirements for precision are getting ever more demanding, and this automatically leads to phenomena that have been researched using microfluidics. » What trends do you see and how much room for improvement is there for further developments? Zengerle: Genome sequencing will become one of the dominant technologies in diagnostics. In the past, individual biomarkers were tested, but in the future, it will be possible to sequence the entire genome, allowing us to examine a health disorder in much greater depth. Nowadays, the individual cells of a tumor tissue are already sequenced for cancer therapy. In addition, patient-specific cell therapies will increasingly gain ground. CAR T-cell therapy, for example, uses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. To do this, white blood cells are taken from the patient’s blood and genetically modified in the laboratory so that they can recognize and specifically destroy cancer cells. I see a great opportunity for the development of bioreactors to produce these patient-specific cells in the future. » What about taking a look into the future? Zengerle: Then I would like to return to our initial topic: In the past 60 years, we have come much closer to the tri- corder than to beaming from the same science fiction series. In another 60 years we will perhaps have fully developed the tricorder, although I don’t think it will work contactlessly like in Star Trek. You will certainly need a little body fluid. And you are definitely going to need microfluidics! “Point-of-care technologies and laboratory automation can bene- fit from each other, for example by combining classic laboratory robots with microfluidic chips.” Prof. Dr. Roland Zengerle Highlights 2025 Life Sciences 41 – 41
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