Integrated microfluidic systems for molecular diagnostics: A universal electrode platform for rapid diagnosis of urinary tract infections

Transforming microfluidics-based biosensing systems from laboratory research into clinical reality remains an elusive goal despite decades of intensive research. A fundamental obstacle in the development of fully automated microfluidic diagnostic systems is the lack of an effective strategy for combining multiple pumping, sample preparation, and detection modules into an integrated platform. In this article, we report a universal electrode approach, which incorporates dc electrolytic pumping, ac electrokinetic sample preparation, and electrochemical sensing based on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on a single microfluidic platform, to automate complicated molecular analysis procedures in nontraditional healthcare settings.