Microfluidic Platform Utilizing Lateral Flow Technology to Bring Better Healthcare to the Developing World, A

A point of care (POC) system refers to the ability of a device to take a test and acquire quick accurate results in any environment. The POC industry has become more and more successful over the past few years with an estimated profit increase of eight to nine percent annually until 2016. Our device would have the ability to test for five different diseases using rapid lateral flow (RLF) technology. Component (conjugate pad, reagents, colloidal particles, etc.) selection is the most instrumental part of creating accurate assays because they affect the sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of the RLF device. An optimal device design has been developed using published research. Further, a basic cash flow analysis was done to see how profitable a device like this could be. It was determined that if each device was sold for $13.00 that profit could be made in three years if six million devices were made annually. A RLF device with the ability to test for more than one disease is currently not on the market, and could lead to better world healthcare through better diagnostics if introduced into developing countries, as well as, the developed world.