CME Seminar Series: Development of portable and easy-to-use chemo/biosensors

In this talk, Hamid Tali will present how the development of cost-effective and portable analytical devices holds significant importance in public healthcare, offering opportunities for environmental monitoring and accessible disease diagnostics to prevent and control various health issues.

Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) and tablet-based assay platforms exhibit considerable potential for point-of-use applications due to their low cost, portability, and user-friendliness. However, several challenges persist in maximizing the effectiveness of these platforms, including complex fabrication methods, limited precision, cumbersome assay procedures, short stability and shelf-life, and prolonged assay durations.

About the speaker

During his Ph.D. program, Hamid Tali worked on addressing these challenges with innovative approaches through several objectives and projects. I) As the first objective, he introduced a simplified fabrication method for μPADs via Parafilm-heating-laser-cutting that was then used to create engineered detection zones to enhance color uniformity and, in turn, precision. II) Then, he created a temperature-actuated valve for μPADs using gelatin as a ready-to-use hydrogel to give disposable programmable μPADs to automate complex multi-step assays. III) A strategy for the development of long-term stable electrochemical μPADs was introduced via polysaccharide encapsulation of bioreagents. IV) Novel tablets were developed with reduced working period and enhanced ease of use. These objectives introduce pioneering methods that have the potential to significantly broaden the applicability of both μPADs and tablet-based assays, paving the way for their commercialization.