This is a new invention in the world which promises to reduce the size of the labs to less a micro-meters in size. The reduction of size will lead to reduced amount of specimen requirement and analysis could be done with trace quantities. Here are some figures showing the recent advancement of Lab-on-a-chip in the field of Pathology.

Figure: Blood Test Lab-On-Chip

A team of researchers from Caltech (California Institute of Technology) have developed a micro-sized laboratory capable of analyzing minute blood samples to determine the exact levels of red and white blood cells as well as other blood components. The research, funded by NASA, was aimed at creating a small device capable of performing simple blood tests in space for astronauts of the future. Currently there is no way to perform these tests in outer space due to the large size and complexity of existing blood analysis devices. Future development of the device might lead to cheap, micro-sized, automatic blood analyzers that could rapidly perform DNA and even cancer tests, as well as use in neonatal units.(Read More)

Introduction: 

A lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is a device that integrates one or several laboratory functions on a single chip of only millimeters to a few square centimeters in size. LOCs deal with the handling of extremely small fluid volumes down to less than pico liters. Lab-on-a-chip devices are a subset of MEMS devices and often indicated by "Micro Total Analysis Systems" (µTAS) as well. Microfluidics is a broader term that describes also mechanical flow control devices like pumps and valves or sensors like flowmeters and viscometers. However, strictly regarded "Lab-on-a-Chip" indicates generally the scaling of single or multiple lab processes down to chip-format, whereas "µTAS" is dedicated to the integration of the total sequence of lab processes to perform chemical analysis. The term "Lab-on-a-Chip" was introduced later on when it turned out that µTAS technologies were more widely applicable than only for analysis purposes.

History:

The first LOC analysis system was a gas chromatograph, developed in 1975 by S.C. Terry - Stanford University. However, only at the end of the 1980’s, and beginning of the 1990’s, the LOC research started to seriously grow as a few research groups in Europe developed micropumps, flowsensors and the concepts for integrated fluid treatments for analysis systems. These µTAS concepts demonstrated that integration of pre-treatment steps, usually done at lab-scale, could extend the simple sensor functionality towards a complete laboratory analysis.

Chip Materials and Fabrication Technologies

The basis for most LOC fabrication processes is photolithography. Initially most processes were in silicon, as these well-developed technologies were directly derived from semiconductor fabrication. Because of demands for e.g. specific optical characteristics, bio- or chemical compatibility, lower production costs and faster prototyping, new processes have been developed such as glass, ceramics and metal etching, deposition and bonding, PDMS processing (e.g., soft lithography), thick-film- and stereo-lithography as well as fast replication methods via electroplating, injection molding and embossing. Furthermore the LOC field more and more exceeds the borders between lithography-based microsystem technology, nano-technology and precision engineering.

Examples of LOC Applications

• Real-time PCR ;detect bacteria, viruses and cancers.
• Biochemical assays
• Immunoassay ; detect bacteria, viruses and cancers based on antigen-antibody reactions.
• Dielectrophoresis detecting cancer cells and bacteria.
• Blood sample preparation ; can crack cells to extract DNA.
• Cellular lab-on-a-chip for single-cell analysis.
• Ion channel screening

Advantages of LOCs

LOCs may provide advantages, which are specific to their application. Typical advantages are:

• low fluid volumes consumption (less waste, lower reagents costs and less required sample volumes for diagnostics)
• faster analysis and response times due to short diffusion distances, fast heating, high surface to volume ratios, small heat capacities.
• better process control because of a faster response of the system (e.g. thermal control for exothermic chemical reactions)
• compactness of the systems due to integration of much functionality and small volumes
• massive parallelization due to compactness, which allows high-throughput analysis
• lower fabrication costs, allowing cost-effective disposable chips, fabricated in mass production
• safer platform for chemical, radioactive or biological studies because of integration of functionality, smaller fluid volumes and stored energies.

References

• http://www.rsc.org/publishing/journals/LC/article.asp
• http://www.lab-on-a-chip.com/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lab-on-a-chip
• http://thefutureofthings.com/print.php?itemTypeId=0&itemId=39