This chapter presents an overview of the strategy, design and utility of microfluidic technology in drug delivery, along with a comprehensive review of diagnostic testing for bacterial diseases. Microfluidics refers to the engineering of manipulating small volumes of fluids (10–9–10–18 L), offering precise and programable control in microchannels. In drug delivery, microfluidics are advantageous for drug preparation and formulation, drug release optimization, drug testing, and controlled drug delivery. This chapter presents current state-of-art and future perspectives of advanced diagnostics incorporating viable bacteria testing, high-throughput testing, point-of-care testing (POCT) for environmental and clinical testing of bacteria, as well as rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing. Finally, we emphasize the potential advantages of single-bacterium microfluidics for testing phenotypic drug testing, and wearable/implantable ex-vivo/in-vivo devices for drug delivery applications for bacterial diseases. In conclusion, microfluidics has the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial diseases by providing rapid and more precise diagnostic tools, together with enabling targeted and controlled drug delivery to infected tissues.
Date:
2023-10-25
Relation:
Studies in Mechanobiology, Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials. 2023 Oct 25;26:201-228.
