A research team led by Prof Elvis Mak Pui In, interim director of the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, and Prof Jia Yanwei, associate professor, has developed a portable digital microfluidic (DMF) system that can be used in rapid nucleic acid testing and cancer drug screening. The system uses DMF technology as the detection platform and combines multiple technologies in chip, droplet manipulation, control software and hardware, and biochemical reagents. 14 national and international applications have been filed for patent protection, and so far three have been granted. This project also receives funding from the Science and Technology Development Fund.
The research outcome that is used for rapid nucleic acid testing has previously been transferred by Digifluidic Biotech Ltd., a start-up company founded by PhD graduates from the state key laboratory, and been used to develop the nucleic acid detection kit VHunter. With advantages such as low cost and fast testing speed, this product has secured investments from the industry.
The automated electronic diagnostic system developed by the research team offers fast, efficient and convenient diagnosis, and is a cutting-edge technology in biomedical sciences. Its realisation requires a high level of integration of various disciplines including electronics, engineering and biotechnology. It enables accurate diagnosis needed for precision medicine and can, therefore, improve patients’ survival rate and prevent communicable diseases from spreading in the community.
Another achievement of the laboratory is a cancer drug screening system. It can deliver results on cancer drug screening within 24 hours using only a tiny amount of primary tumour samples. This portable system provides fast and efficient screening results, and has received an investment of RMB4.5 million for technology transfer from a large enterprise in Zhuhai. It is expected to be applied in clinical practice in the near future.
Source: Macao Daily News
