Dry chemistry and microfluidics streamline point-of-care diagnostics for resource-limited settings
The review examines dry chemistry principles integrated with microfluidic platforms for point-of-care diagnostics. Investigators note that immobilized reagents enable rapid, accurate biomarker detection with minimal sample preparation, lower costs, and reduced labor compared to conventional wet chemistry methods. The authors also track commercialization trends and emphasize the growing utility of these portable devices in limited-resource clinical environments where accessibility and reliability are paramount. This synthesis provides laboratory directors and diagnostics developers with a practical overview of how dry chemistry can support decentralized testing workflows.
The original study
Dry chemistry-based approaches for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics.
- Authors
- Deshpande T, Dutta O, Parmar A, Citartan M, Mani NK
- Journal
- Bioanalysis
- Type
- Journal Article, Review
- PMID
- 42517753
Original abstract
In the field of diagnosis, where minimal costs, less processing time, low labor, and high accuracy are critical aspects, the integration of dry chemistry principles with microfluidic approaches has led to a significant streamlining of procedures in the field. The literature for this review was collected from databases such as Google Scholar and PubMed, primarily covering studies published between 2020 and 2025. Dry chemistry is an evolving branch of analytical chemistry that uses primarily dry or immobilized reagents, enabling rapid and reliable analysis without extensive sample preparation. This paper extensively examines the principles and methods of detecting the prominent biomarkers of the biological samples used in diagnosis. It also provides a comparative analysis of conventional diagnostic techniques focused on wet chemistry principles and dry chemistry-based methods, further highlighting the efficient selectivity and broader applicability in diverse clinical settings. This study also focuses on the commercialization of dry chemistry analyzers. It further elaborates on the increasing market share, ongoing advancements in technology, and relevance of point-of-care devices in limited resource-based clinical settings, where accessibility, portability, and reliability are a few of the challenging issues.