Microfluidic platforms for performing surface-based clinical assays

The need for fast, specific and portable diagnostic systems for clinical assays has, in recent years, led to an explosion of research into microfluidic chip-based immunoassays towards rapid point-of-care analysis. Such devices exploit small dimensions, superior fluidic control and low reagent volumes to allow a number of clinically important procedures to be achieved with improvements on conventional methods, many of which rely on the surface-based binding of antigens to antibodies. Here, we discuss recent developments and innovations in the area of on-chip surface-based immunoassays and provide an outlook on the potential of such platforms for future diagnostics.