{"title":"Dynamic tapered nozzle and multiple waveform modulation enable high-speed piezoelectric jetting without satellite droplets across broad fluid property ranges.","authors":"Jianfeng Chen, Chao Xu, Muqun Wang, Shengyun Ji, Yichuan Dai, Xiaoxiao Chen","doi":"10.1039/d6lc00512h","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6lc00512h","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Piezoelectric drop-on-demand inkjet printing enables controlled microdroplet deposition in microfluidics, biomanufacturing, and precision manufacturing. However, conventional pressure chamber piezoelectric printheads are susceptible to viscous dissipation and nozzle clogging, exhibit limited adaptability to high-viscosity, low-surface-tension liquids and particle/cell suspensions, and struggle to suppress satellite droplets effectively. These limitations hinder their practical deployment in high-precision and high-stability inkjet applications. Here, a dynamic tapered nozzle generates droplets through local self-pumping induced by geometric deformation rather than pressure-wave propagation in a conventional pressure chamber. Structural optimization enabled droplet velocities of 5.42-12.67 m s<sup>-1</sup> and stable ejection at viscosities up to 40.3 mPa s, surface tensions of 24.44-72.75 mN m<sup>-1</sup>, and <i>Z</i> values of 1.01-38.11. Mechanistic analysis identified high-frequency residual nozzle oscillations as the primary cause of ligament stretching and secondary breakup. Based on this mechanism, a multiple waveform modulation strategy is devised to dynamically regulate the nozzle displacement response. This strategy effectively suppresses satellite droplets during high-speed ejection while maintaining printing throughput and achieves a 32% reduction in droplet diameter. The satellite-droplet suppression effect is further validated in a 0.5 wt% SiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticle suspension and a 10 wt% PVP K30 solution. The platform enables high-viability printing of MC3T3 cells and carrier-free intracellular delivery of 70 kDa fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran, establishing a feasible pathway for high-speed and stable ejection across broad fluid property ranges with low clogging risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149101288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2026-09-29DOI: 10.1039/d6lc00516k
Xianming Qin, Yi Ouyang, Ziyu Guo, Shaolong Wang, Xuan Chen, András Dér, Sándor Valkai, Weidong Wang, Xueyong Wei
{"title":"Translation, sorting and enrichment: acoustic valve micro robotic system for multifunctional micro manipulation.","authors":"Xianming Qin, Yi Ouyang, Ziyu Guo, Shaolong Wang, Xuan Chen, András Dér, Sándor Valkai, Weidong Wang, Xueyong Wei","doi":"10.1039/d6lc00516k","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lc00516k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The precise manipulation of micro-scale targets is a foundational technology driving advancements in biomedical engineering, clinical diagnostics, and micro-manufacturing. Here, we present a multifunctional acoustic valve microrobotic system capable of the precise manipulation of cells and microorganisms. The focused surface acoustic wave transducers are utilized to form valve-like potential wells, thereby enabling stable entrapment and transportation of micro targets. Based on this ability, it can further realize direct sorting and enrichment, by sweeping the acoustic field through the targeted regions. Experimental results demonstrate that this platform can achieve high-speed manipulation exceeding 1000 μm s<sup>-1</sup>, and can achieve sub-10 μm navigation accuracy. Furthermore, it supports highly efficient sorting and enrichment, delivering a target recovery rate of over 90% and an enrichment ratio of 5 to 10 fold in a single cycle. We verified the system's biocompatibility through thermal stability experiments and cell viability assays, and successfully applied the acoustically enriched microalgae to the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline. Collectively, this versatile and highly adaptable acoustic platform provides a powerful tool for complex micro-manipulation, and has the potential to be used in cutting-edge applications such as cell analysis and biological assembly.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":"5140-5151"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148719462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2026-09-29DOI: 10.1039/d6lc00362a
Lenya de Brouwer, Victoria Pozo Garcia, Mostafa Kiamehr, Elisabeth Naderlinger, Tuğçe S Çobanoğlu, Beren Ataç Wagegg, Eva-Maria Dehne, Catherine Verfaillie, Sofia Moco, Paul Jennings, Anja Wilmes
{"title":"A human iPSC-derived kidney-liver organ-on-a-chip platform for modeling inter-organ crosstalk.","authors":"Lenya de Brouwer, Victoria Pozo Garcia, Mostafa Kiamehr, Elisabeth Naderlinger, Tuğçe S Çobanoğlu, Beren Ataç Wagegg, Eva-Maria Dehne, Catherine Verfaillie, Sofia Moco, Paul Jennings, Anja Wilmes","doi":"10.1039/d6lc00362a","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lc00362a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The liver and kidneys are essential for drug metabolism and clearance and are highly sensitive to toxicity. Most <i>in vitro</i> models assess these organs in isolation, limiting the study of inter-organ interactions. Here, an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived kidney-liver organ-on-a-chip model was developed that co-cultured hepatocyte-like cell (HLC) organobodies and proximal tubular-like cells (PTL) under microfluidic flow. In parallel, a PTL-HepaRG spheroid co-culture model was established to investigate bioactivation of the prodrug ifosfamide. Co-culture induced distinct transcriptional responses in PTL and HLC, as revealed by gene set enrichment analysis. In PTL, co-culture with HepaRG enriched signaling and cell polarity pathways, while co-culture with HLC enhanced metabolic and transport-related programs. In HLC, co-culture with PTL affected intermediary metabolism, lipid processing, redox regulation, and plasma protein synthesis. The PTL-HepaRG model demonstrated bioactivation of ifosfamide into metabolite chloroacetaldehyde, highlighting the utility of these systems for studying human-relevant kidney-liver interactions and drug metabolism <i>in vitro</i>. However, the concentration of chloroacetaldehyde was too low to cause adverse effects in the renal tissue in the current setup.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":"5311-5326"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13519871/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148823752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2026-09-29DOI: 10.1039/d6lc00157b
Henrique Nogueira Pinto, Lois Kistemaker, Mikhail Ponomarenko, Arthur A Ermakov, Manon Karsten-van Diepen, Susanne M A van der Pol, R Jeroen Pasterkamp, Stephanie D Beekhuis-Hoekstra, Nienke M de Wit, Emma J van Bodegraven, Helga E de Vries, Elly M Hol
{"title":"A human iPSC-based perfusable and membrane-free neurovascular unit-on-chip connecting brain organoids to the blood-brain barrier.","authors":"Henrique Nogueira Pinto, Lois Kistemaker, Mikhail Ponomarenko, Arthur A Ermakov, Manon Karsten-van Diepen, Susanne M A van der Pol, R Jeroen Pasterkamp, Stephanie D Beekhuis-Hoekstra, Nienke M de Wit, Emma J van Bodegraven, Helga E de Vries, Elly M Hol","doi":"10.1039/d6lc00157b","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lc00157b","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the central nervous system by restricting entry of harmful blood-borne factors, but this selectivity actively limits delivery of therapeutics to the brain. Because BBB function is shaped by dynamic interactions within the neurovascular unit (NVU), particularly between brain endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocytes, there is a need for human-relevant models that capture both barrier properties and neurovascular crosstalk in a controlled setting. Here, we present a novel human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based NVU-on-chip that couples a perfusable, vessel-like BBB compartment to an adjacent open-top chamber housing a human brain organoid (hBO) <i>via</i> a membrane-free, hydrogel-based interface. This design enables co-culture of BBB and parenchymal components in close proximity while allowing direct cell-cell interactions at the barrier-tissue boundary without an artificial porous membrane. Using this platform, we demonstrate stable on-chip co-culture and show that hBO-derived astrocytes can sprout, migrate toward the BBB compartment and establish direct contact with endothelial cells, recapitulating the NVU structure. This system offers a human-specific framework for modeling NVU biology in health and disease and for evaluating BBB penetration together with downstream effects of candidate therapeutics on hBO.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":"5198-5215"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13588194/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148987162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fluid rheology modulates particle enrichment kinetics in acoustic-oscillatory microfluidics.","authors":"Shan-Shan Li, Yan-Ran Wang, Jing-Tong Na, Yong-Jiang Li, Jun Yu, Kai-Rong Qin, Chun-Dong Xue","doi":"10.1039/d6lc00500d","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lc00500d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Efficient particle enrichment underpins microfluidic clinical diagnostics, yet many biologically relevant samples are non-Newtonian and their behaviour in acoustic-oscillatory systems remains incompletely understood. Here, we compare particle-enrichment kinetics in Newtonian glycerol-water (GW), viscoelastic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), and shear-thinning xanthan gum (XG) solutions using a common acoustic-oscillatory microfluidic platform. The enrichment rate followed the order PEO > water > XG > GW under representative conditions. At <i>f</i><sub>ac</sub> = 1 MHz, <i>V</i><sub>pp</sub> = 17 V, and <i>f</i><sub>flow</sub> = 12 Hz, 1.4 wt% PEO reduced the enrichment time by approximately 60% relative to water. Increased hydrodynamic resistance accounts for the slower response in GW, whereas shear thinning lowers the apparent viscosity of XG as the deformation rate increases. The faster response in PEO suggests an additional viscoelastic contribution. This contribution may assist migration toward the central node at 1 MHz but oppose migration locally between the centreline and the two off-centre nodes at 2 MHz. The voltage-dependent enrichment rate was described empirically by 1/<i>t</i><sub>e</sub> = <i>aV</i>bpp. Phase-resolved simulations based on the measured rheology and channel geometry showed fluid-dependent velocity, shear-rate, and apparent-viscosity fields. Fluid rheology must therefore be considered when designing acoustic-oscillatory enrichment systems for complex samples.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":"5300-5310"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148816904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2026-09-29DOI: 10.1039/d6lc00628k
Farzaneh Taromian, Negar Mahmoudi, Lilith M Caballero Aguilar, Melanie E M Stamp, David J Collins, David R Nisbet
{"title":"Hydrogels and microfluidics: toward more physiologically relevant organ-on-a-chip models.","authors":"Farzaneh Taromian, Negar Mahmoudi, Lilith M Caballero Aguilar, Melanie E M Stamp, David J Collins, David R Nisbet","doi":"10.1039/d6lc00628k","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lc00628k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hydrogel-integrated organ-on-a-chip (OoC) models have emerged as a promising platform for recapitulating the complexity of native human tissues. This review highlights the role of hydrogels as tissue-specific extracellular matrix (ECM) mimics, focusing on the physicochemical properties that regulate cellular behaviour and tissue function in three-dimensional (3D) systems. We also explore the contribution of microfluidic systems in further enhancing physiological relevance by integrating multiple microenvironmental cues, including dynamic biochemical gradients, biophysical stimuli, tissue architecture, temporal regulation, 3D cellular arrangements, and ECM incorporation. Following a discussion of different hydrogel-microfluidic integration strategies, along with their associated engineering challenges and design considerations, we examine how the synergistic integration of hydrogels with microfluidics enables the development of advanced OoC models that more faithfully reproduce native tissue organisation and physiology. These advances make hydrogel-integrated OoC models well suited to a broad range of applications, including studying fundamental biology, disease modelling, drug development, personalised medicine, and multi-organ system, helping bridge the gap between <i>in vivo</i> animal studies, traditional <i>in vitro</i> studies, and human physiology.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":"5110-5139"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148987173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2026-09-29DOI: 10.1039/d6lc00324a
Ge Zhang, Emma Li, Anthony R Kovscek
{"title":"Data-efficient generation of pore-scale microstructures for rock-on-chip design.","authors":"Ge Zhang, Emma Li, Anthony R Kovscek","doi":"10.1039/d6lc00324a","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lc00324a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We present a unified digital-to-experimental workflow that advances the integration of single-image diffusion-based rock generation with connectivity conditioning, scalable texture synthesis, and microfluidic experimentation, enabling statistically realistic generated images to be converted into hydraulically functional, fabrication-ready porous media. For each reference rock image across multiple lithologies, a separate SinDiffusion model is trained to generate statistically consistent pore-scale realizations that preserve key features of the input structure. Quantitative evaluation using intensity statistics, porosity, Minkowski functionals, connectivity metrics, and pore-shape eccentricity confirms preservation of multi-scale morphological characteristics. The generated images are further processed through percolation-constrained thresholding and texture synthesis to produce fabrication-ready designs with controlled connectivity and arbitrary geometries. Additional geometric and flow-property analyses across the four workflow stages show that the final designs retain comparable structural and transport-relevant characteristics while satisfying microfluidic fabrication requirements. The digital layouts are translated into rock-on-chip microfluidics <i>via</i> maskless photolithography and used for CO<sub>2</sub> drying and salt precipitation experiments. Homogeneous and artificially fractured sandstone-like configurations demonstrate the workflow's ability to resolve structure-dependent drying and precipitation patterns, with fractures promoting localized deposition and delayed clogging. Experiments on multiple realizations generated from the same input image show a consistent qualitative sequence of CO<sub>2</sub> displacement, brine depletion, and salt accumulation, while capturing realization-specific variability in phase evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":"5254-5266"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148808108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2026-09-29DOI: 10.1039/d5lc01156f
Jacob Doon-Ralls, Sophia Mayone, Xilal Y Rima, Dharti Shantaram, Kim Truc Nguyen, Ajeet Singh, Bradley J Needleman, Sabrena Noria, Stacy Brethauer, Kyle A Perry, David Wood, Anahita D Jalilvand, Willa A Hsueh, Eduardo Reátegui
{"title":"Tunable self-assembling cellular microarray for single-neutrophil vital and suicidal extracellular traps.","authors":"Jacob Doon-Ralls, Sophia Mayone, Xilal Y Rima, Dharti Shantaram, Kim Truc Nguyen, Ajeet Singh, Bradley J Needleman, Sabrena Noria, Stacy Brethauer, Kyle A Perry, David Wood, Anahita D Jalilvand, Willa A Hsueh, Eduardo Reátegui","doi":"10.1039/d5lc01156f","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5lc01156f","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neutrophils, the innate immune system's first line of defense, function in pathogen removal through diverse cellular responses. One critical response is neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, which, despite its importance in inflammation, remains poorly understood and lacks high-resolution tools to effectively study its multiple forms: vital and suicidal. To begin addressing this gap, we introduce a tunable micropatterned platform that enables single-cell analysis of NETosis with spatial precision. Using photopatterned bacterial extracellular vesicles (bEVs) on a functionalized surface, we achieved controlled alignment of human peripheral blood neutrophils and demonstrated that engineered patterns control key NETosis outcomes. Meanwhile, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulation induced uniform suicidal NETosis. This approach supports additional applications, enabling tunable neutrophil patterning and live-cell imaging for intracellular investigation. Additionally, there is flexibility for different extracellular vesicle and nanoparticle patterning and pre-stimulation studies. Here, we present a novel system to quantify and manipulate NETosis pathways at the single-cell level, opening new avenues to explore immune heterogeneity and develop targeted therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":"5241-5253"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13335416/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148389367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modeling sympathetic neuro-cardiac interactions in a hiPSC-based microphysiological system.","authors":"Jean-Baptiste Reisqs, Yvonne Sleiman, Mohamed Boutjdir","doi":"10.1039/d6lc00320f","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lc00320f","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The cardiac autonomic nervous system is a key driver of various cardiac disorders and arrhythmias. However, investigating neuronal regulation of the human heart has proven difficult due to the limited availability of reliable experimental models. Here, we present a novel microphysiological system using a compartmentalized microfluidic device (MFD) to integrate co-cultured human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and sympathetic neurons (hiPSC-SNs). MFD is composed of two wide-open chambers separated by microfluidic microchannels. Patch-clamp electrophysiology, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence, and video-motion recording were used to characterize the phenotype of hiPSC-SNs and their functional coupling with hiPSC-CMs in the MDF. Immunofluorescence and RT-qPCR demonstrated significantly increased expression of the sympathetic neuronal markers peripherin, tyrosine hydroxylase, βIII-tubulin, dopamine β-hydroxylase, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, confirming successful differentiation into a sympathetic neuronal phenotype. Patch-clamp electrophysiology further demonstrated functional maturation, with hiPSC-SNs exhibiting spontaneous action potentials and nicotine-triggered membrane depolarization in response to 1 μM nicotine. Co-culture of hiPSC-CMs and hiPSC-SNs within the MFD promoted axonal projection into the cardiomyocyte chamber, establishing a physical connection between the two cell types. After 10 days of co-culture, functional integration was confirmed by a significant increase in hiPSC-CMs action potential frequency and beating rate, as recorded by patch-clamp and video motion tracking, respectively. Furthermore, selective nicotine stimulation of the neuronal chamber increased both action potential frequency and beating rate in hiPSC-CMs, whereas β-adrenergic blockade with 5 μM propranolol significantly reduced the beating rate. Collectively, these data demonstrate the feasibility of differentiating hiPSCs into functional sympathetic neurons and establishing a robust neuro-cardiac interface. This microphysiological system represents a powerful platform for investigating disorders characterized by impaired neuro-cardiac interactions, offering a valuable tool for both disease modeling and pharmacological screening.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":"5267-5279"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148808092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Design and development of a smart, intuitive and cost-efficient paper-based platform for whole blood PT/INR diagnostics.","authors":"Anubhuti Saha, Ashutosh Bajpai, Praveen Shukla, Rakesh Verma, Vinay K Krishna, Shantanu Bhattacharya","doi":"10.1039/d6lc00409a","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lc00409a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Frequent monitoring of prothrombin time and international normalized ratio (PT/INR) is essential for effective management of anticoagulation therapy, yet conventional laboratory-based testing remains costly, time-consuming, and difficult to access in decentralized settings. Addressing this challenge, a hybrid paper-based point-of-care (POC) platform is designed for rapid and affordable whole-blood PT/INR analysis. The assay is developed through systematic optimization of key parameters, including sample volume, blood-to-reagent ratio, reaction time, substrate type, assay geometry, and strip dimensions for both haematocrit (HCT) and PT/INR modules. The integrated system simultaneously estimates HCT using radial intensity-based detection on Whatman Grade 4 paper (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.9788) and measures PT/INR on high-porosity MF1 glass-fibre strips (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> ≈ 0.94), enabling correction of HCT-induced bias. Image-derived features were analyzed using AI/ML-based models, where support vector machine classifiers achieved diagnostic accuracies of 98.5% and 96.9% for non-anticoagulated and anticoagulated cohorts, respectively. Integrated with a custom desktop/web/smartphone application and an automated warfarin dosage calculator, the platform provides a low-cost, rapid, and user-friendly solution for accessible anticoagulation monitoring.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":"5280-5299"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148811449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}