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Lab-On-A-Chip: The Revolution In Portable Instrumentation, 4th Edition (Technical Insights)
Frost & Sullivan, Jan 2002
Research into making laboratory instruments that fit on chips of material such as silicon and plastic is growing at a rapid rate and has become one of the most important
areas of investigation in the world of research and development. Nearly every company and institution doing research and development ought to be aware of this
revolution in portable instrumentation.
Apply As Little Input As Possible, But As Much As Is Needed
This Technical Insights report separates the good news from the mundane by providing the following:
- A detailed overview of technological advances in development laboratories
- Identification of key companies and developers and estimates of timelines for commercializing technology
- Definitions of key markets and applications
- Reporting on technology drivers as well as obstacles in the way of commercial success
- A detailed list of key contacts in the field, including names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and URLs
Additional InformationThe commercialization of the lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is affecting chemical analysis at all levels. This low-cost technology will bring the capabilities of expensive instruments
to pocket-size devices.
LOCs have left the realm of theoretical research, with most of the basic groundwork laid, and is on its way to becoming a new, multibillion-dollar industry, says Technical Insights’ Analyst Kathy Austin. New discoveries in physics, micro-scale dynamics, and nanotechnology will act as enabling technologies, solving dilemmas for LOC developers one step at a time.
Over the past decade, demand has been building for analytical equipment that can acquire data automatically and inexpensively, in parallel environments, and at the front lines of many key industries. Two major developments have occurred in the LOC landscape, opening doors for innovators while creating new standards. The first is the use of microarrays, where these tiny wafers are now standard laboratory equipment for almost any type of high-throughput analysis. The second is LOCs’ integration into market-ready products by several laboratories.
Complete chemical LOCs will have the greatest direct impact on two markets: medical diagnostics and laboratory instrumentation. Chemical sensing mar-kets and chemical synthesis will also be affected. Genetic analysis is firmly entrenched among primary applications of the LOC. High-value and high-priority markets such as proteomics, medical diagnos-tics and screening, and pathogen identification are driving product development. Advanced LOCs often sort cells with the objective of amplifying DNA. LOCs will most likely not be used for uncomplicated yes or no tests, as simple, reliable, inexpensive solutions are already on the market. LOCs will be used to replace some functions of comprehensive clinical diagnostic instruments in situations where concentrations of more than one analyte needs to be determined, or where a complex separation must precede analysis.
While several groups boast a complete LOC, dozens more are working on what will eventually become components of future LOCs: microfluidics, sample handling systems, analyzers and detection schemes, signal processors, control software, and chemical sensors for analytical LOCs. Miniaturized reaction chambers, specialized reagents, and novel chemical strategies are under development for synthesis LOCs.
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