Improving Healthcare Access and Sustainability With Microfluidic Platforms
The problem
Public health testing requires rapid identification of infections for containment of spread and for rapid delivery of the correct treatment. Such testing is often unavailable in rural or remote locations, particularly in vulnerable areas such as drop-in health clinics that serve high risk individuals. A "lab on a chip" system could allow greater access to important medical tests, decrease healthcare costs, and allow tests to be conducted even in remote locations with few resources. It could also improve screening for a variety of diseases and facilitate personalized, genetic-based medicine for some conditions.
The team
This team of 12 researchers provides expertise from three different faculties and seven different disciplines at the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, the Alberta Cancer Board, the National Institute of Nanotechnology, and Canadian Blood Services.
The plan
The team aims to develop a microfluidic platform (a "lab on a chip") that can carry out many different types of health and disease-related tests. Testing of patients one at a time, in real time will make test results available even in small healthcare centres, maximizing the speed and accuracy of treatment for all patients, but especially for vulnerable populations such as children or patients in the far north, rural or other relatively inaccessible and under-resourced locations. This team will develop devices for detecting HIV and other viruses, at a time when infectious spread is most virulent, to deal with the alarming increase of sexually transmitted disease in Alberta and elsewhere. They will develop microfluidic chips to detect and genetically identify influenza variants for triaging in emergency wards, potential screening of travelers, and rapid identification of infected individuals during a pandemic. For transplant patients and those with compromised immune systems, including those with AIDS, the team will develop a chip to detect the most life-threatening viral agents. Finally they will develop a "malaria" chip, to improve the expertise in dealing with returning travelers for disease control in tropical areas. The technology will also facilitate containment of disease spread among vulnerable communities, and maintenance of a clean blood supply. A microfluidic chip will also be designed to carry out predictive testing for a variety of cancers and identify genetic changes that could influence treatment decisions. The team will conduct focus groups to address social and policy challenges associated with this type of technology including concerns regarding privacy, the balance between individual rights and public benefits, and access to health services.
The outcomes
The team will develop "lab on a chip" technology for immediate use in public health and for future use for affordable testing to enable genetics-based personalized medicine.