Hattersley Samantha M, Greenman John, Haswell Stephen J
Postgraduate Medical Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UK.
Methods Mol Biol. 2013;949:285-303. doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-134-9_19.
Whilst diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders are increasing in the developed world, the main threat to global health remains viral-based infectious disease. Such diseases are notably prevalent in developing countries, where they represent a major cause of mortality; however, their detection and prevention is typically hampered by poor infrastructure and a lack of resources to support the sophisticated diagnostic tools commonly found in modern laboratories. Microfluidic-based diagnostics has the potential to close the gap between developed and developing world medical needs due to the robustness and reduced operating costs such technology offers. The most recent developments in microfluidic diagnostics for viral infections have explored the separation and enumeration of immune cells, the capture and identification of viral particles, and antiviral drug evaluation within microchannels and chambers. Advances in solid-phase separation, isothermal amplification, real-time detection of nucleotide products, and improved efficiency of detection systems in microfluidic platforms have also opened up opportunities for diagnostic innovation. This chapter reviews the potential capability microfluidic technology can offer in addressing the practical challenges of providing diagnostic technology for developing countries, illustrated by research on key viral diseases.
在发达国家，糖尿病和心血管疾病等病症日益增多，然而，对全球健康的主要威胁仍然是病毒性传染病。这类疾病在发展中国家尤为普遍，是造成死亡的主要原因；然而，由于基础设施薄弱且缺乏资源来支持现代实验室中常见的精密诊断工具，它们的检测和预防工作通常受到阻碍。基于微流体的诊断技术因其所具备的稳健性和降低的运营成本，有潜力弥合发达国家和发展中国家在医疗需求上的差距。微流体诊断技术在病毒感染方面的最新进展包括对免疫细胞的分离和计数、病毒颗粒的捕获和鉴定，以及在微通道和腔室内进行抗病毒药物评估。固相分离、等温扩增、核苷酸产物的实时检测以及微流体平台中检测系统效率的提高等方面的进展，也为诊断创新带来了机遇。本章将通过对关键病毒性疾病的研究，综述微流体技术在应对为发展中国家提供诊断技术这一实际挑战方面所具有的潜在能力。
