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APRIL 2020 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 65 protein and cell assays, with worldwide sales of more than 7000 instruments. These LoC bioanalyzers could handle nucleic acids, proteins, and cells on the same platform us- ing sample-specific reagents and chips and set an industry- standard for RNA analysis and sequencing. LoC for integrat- ed chemical and biochemical analysis has also grown dra- matically in the past decade. Although the primary focus has been on medical uses, the basic technology is applicable to a wide variety of analyti- cal and monitoring functions and fits very logically into the concept of a connected world (Figure 2). Microfluidic devices can be fabricated a variety of mate- rials—including glass, rigid polymers, and elastomers— using techniques such as CNC milling, injection mold- ing, and photolithography. The original material was silicon since the fabrication techniques had been derived from semiconductor manu- facture, and several alter- native processes have been developed because of re- quirements for specific ma- terial properties, as well as lower production costs and faster prototyp- ing. A wide variety of sophisticated chips are increasingly being demonstrated, but it is be- lieved that few of these will be seen on the general market because of the lack of estab- lished commercial manufacturing technol- ogy. 3D printing has recently emerged as an alternative approach for the fabrication of flu- idic devices and may replace soft lithography as a preferred method for rapid prototyping. But existing technologies are not unified, and it remains to be seen which processes and materials will eventually be adopted for high throughput diagnostics. Basic Components of an LoC The component devices that make up an LoC are (Figure 3): 1. Electrophoresis: Separation columns 2. Microfluidics: Channels, valves-pumps & mixers 3. Chem-bio detectors and sensors 4. Microfluidic chips Figure 2 (a & b): BioMEMS LoC. (Source: HP Laboratories, 1995) a b