Paper-based capillary-driven point-of-care devices have recently garnered the attention of many innovators, in part due to affordability, ease of fabrication, and potential applications. Compared to other new diagnostic technologies however, translation into the field and automation is still in progress. This challenge is exacerbated by two key limitations, viz; the design process and lack of efficient and affordable valves. Adopting a systems engineering approach where all stake holders are involved likely addresses the design challenge. This integrated systems design approach is likely to accelerate translation of affordable diagnostic devices due to an increase in technology trust. A new model in the design process will be discussed based on a mutli-disciplinary case study in Kenya. Automation, on the other hand, cas been addressed through felicitous design of affordable two-way valves akin to an SPDT electrical relay. Such valves allow for tunable and programmable fluidic delivery across different paper-based diagnostic test zones. These valves form the first evaluation of the systems based design process where point-of-care stakeholders suggested that standardization and reliability are more important in paper devices than chasing for &lt;$1 kits.

Lab-on-paper: Designing paper-based diagnostic devices for translation and automation

256th National Meeting (2018)

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