Abstract

Microfluidic-based Diagnostic Approaches for COVID-19

Dino Di Carlo, Armond and Elena Hairapetian Chair in Engineering and Medicine, Professor and Vice Chair of Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles

Microfluidic technologies have laid a foundation for a number of diagnostic solutions that are especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. I will discuss technological platforms being applied to rapidly detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus, characterize antibodies produced by individuals in response to infection, and triage patients based on detection of abnormal host immune activation. Integration of microfluidic and machine learning approaches enable these tests to have rapid turnaround times which are critical for  clinical scenarios involving diagnosing infected individuals at the point-of-care, broadly screening for immunity / vaccination effectiveness, and triaging patients entering the emergency room based on the amount of care needed.