Abstract

Hype, Hope and Hubris: The Quest for a Killer Application in Microfluidics

Holger Becker, Chief Scientific Officer, microfluidic ChipShop GmbH

Almost 25 years after the introduction of the concept of the "miniaturized total chemical analysis system (µTAS)" and about 15 years after the gold digger`s frenzy about how this technology would revolutionize all aspects of chemical, biological or diagnostic protocols, it is worth to have a look how this technology has matured (or at what places it might have made a wrong turn). Currently, a significant part of the early day's promises are being fulfilled and the number of commercial applications and products is rapidly growing. A review on roadblocks as well as success factors for the commercialization of microfluidic devices will be given as well as an overview on commercially available manufacturing routes with their specific application to microfluidics. Various examples for developments of microfluidic applications and their manufacturing technologies will be presented.