Low-Cost Microchips to Diagnose the Cause of Persistent Diarrhoeal Diseases in Children

Our bold idea is to make a low-cost, multiplexed, highly-sensitive, rapid and easy-to-use diagnostic tool for simultaneous detection of 4 most common gastrointestinal pathogens, causing persistent diarrhea in children (i.Giardia Lamblia, ii. Cryptosporidium Parvum, iii. Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli and iv. Rotavirus) from stool samples of the patients. We have developed a technology to accurately deliver and control liquids in microchannels using only capillary (surface tension) forces. Our highly flexible liquid handling platform miniaturizes, automates, and expedites the existing laboratory procedures without any need for external pumps or valves. We implemented the technology for making one-step, high-sensitive point of care immunoassays. Currently we have developed scalable prototypes of a variety of microchips capable of measuring a disease biomarker using a drop of blood. Our microchip costs only 0.5$ to be manufactured and is easy to use and rapid. This allows a wide range of customers. For this project, we will first engineer a vial containing a buffer solution and a filter, in which upon placing 50 uL of the stool sample in the vial, the proteins are dissolved in the buffer and the analyte passes through the filter in the vial. Afterwards, upon connecting the vial to the microchip the one-step, colorimetric immunoassay steps are performed and the results associated with the presence of the 4 gastrointestinal pathogens are observed in less than 25 minutes.