Finger-actuated microfluidic device for field-ready cell-free nucleic acid extraction

Point-of-care (POC) molecular diagnostics have the potential to improve access to better healthcare delivery by enabling rapid testing outside conventional laboratory settings. However, nucleic acid extraction remains a significant challenge, often relying on specialised laboratory equipment, trained personnel and laboratory infrastructure that limit deployment in decentralised and resource-limited settings.
To address this challenge, a fully finger-actuated microfluidic platform has been developed for the extraction of cell-free nucleic acids from plasma. The device integrates fluid handling, reagent storage and magnetic bead-based extraction within a compact, power-free system, enabling a simplified sample-to-eluate workflow without the need for external pumps, pipettes, or laboratory instrumentation.
The device’s performance was benchmarked against conventional manual and automated extraction workflows using DNA-spiked water samples and human plasma, demonstrating reliable extraction performance and compatibility with downstream molecular detection methods. Furthermore, a clinical pilot study was also conducted in collaboration with a WHO reference laboratory in Australia using viral patient samples, further highlighting the potential of the technology for infectious disease testing in real-world settings.
By combining simplicity, portability and analytical performance, this work demonstrates the potential of an instrument-free microfluidic POC device to support molecular diagnostics beyond conventional laboratory environments, helping to expand access in resource-limited and decentralised healthcare settings.