RAPID PROTOTYPING OF SELF-FILLING MICROFLUIDIC CHIPS FOR SARS-COV-2 RNA DETECTION BY ISOTHERMAL AMPLIFICATION

Since the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic the public interest in diagnostic testing has dramatically increased, especially, regarding development time and user friendliness. Point-of-care devices, that require little user interaction or laboratory equipment, are desired. Here we propose a microfluidic chip based on capillary retention valves, that enables controlled volume deposition independent of applied sample volume and only requires the use of a disposable transfer pipette. For rapid deployment, a pipeline for accelerated prototyping was established, which can save up to 60% in costs and several weeks in time compared to conventional prototyping. The diagnostic capability of this microfluidic chip was achieved by incorporating a LAMP assay for the detection of viral SarsCoV-2 RNA at a limit of detection of 10 copies per µL. In future, this microfluidic design can be combined with further assays to provide rapid and cost-effective pathogen detection without any further readout instruments.