Lab-on-PCB Platform

This study presents a lab-on-PCB platform for in-vitro analysis of biological material, which integrates electronic, electrochemical and optical components with microfluidic structures. The microfluidic components and the housing of the completed device are constructed of injection-molded parts. Electrical functionality is provided by a thin printed circuit board (PCB). The substrate technology is fully biocompatible and can be steam-sterilized if required. An optically transparent substrate material is available to allow the integration of optical techniques. The substrate integrates micro-electronic components and fully encapsulates them against the biological material to be analyzed. The substrate material LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer), a chemically and biologically stable thermoplastic material, provides superior resistance to moisture and gas permeation to a degree only hitherto seen in glass or ceramic materials, at significantly lower cost. Potential applications of this lab-on-PCB platform technology are point-of-care diagnostics, analysis of organoid tissue and other in-vitro analysis techniques involving electrical and optical measurements.