It is now increasingly obvious that research into lab-on-a-chip technology has reached a critical mass, where the
abundant demonstrations of innovations need to move into the next phase of development into usable consumer
products. This challenge will require a shift in the mind-set of researchers in the field to engage more with their
industrial counterparts to realize a greater appreciation for the delicate balance of functionality, cost, sensitivity and
device complexity with how this will translate to the economies of scale for mass manufacturing. This in itself is a
non-trivial hurdle in the transferal of technology to the market. Ironically, it is believed that the reductionist approach
may be required in stripping back lab-on-a-chip technology to its bare essentials for not only ease of manufacturing,
but reducing chip-to-chip variations by minimizing the number of variables that negatively impact the efficacy of the
final device. This approach is perhaps at odds with modern advancements in the field where researchers strive to
demonstrate innovative functionalities at the trade-off of increased complexity, and ultimately, a reduced capacity for
mass manufacturing. It is debatable whether there is such a thing as a single ‘killer application’ in lab-on-achip/
microfluidic technology but it seems abundantly apparent that through careful consideration by researchers to
the challenges involved in commercialization, an appreciation of the end-user needs and the added value the
technology provides for a particular application, such technology is likely to find greater prevalence and market
penetration in the near future.
It is now increasingly obvious that research into lab-on-a-chip technology has reached a critical mass, where theabundant demonstrations of innovations need to move into the next phase of development into usable consumerproducts. This challenge will require a shift in the mind-set of researchers in the field to engage more with theirindustrial counterparts to realize a greater appreciation for the delicate balance of functionality, cost, sensitivity anddevice complexity with how this will translate to the economies of scale for mass manufacturing. This in itself is anon-trivial hurdle in the transferal of technology to the market. Ironically, it is believed that the reductionist approachmay be required in stripping back lab-on-a-chip technology to its bare essentials for not only ease of manufacturing,but reducing chip-to-chip variations by minimizing the number of variables that negatively impact the efficacy of thefinal device. This approach is perhaps at odds with modern advancements in the field where researchers strive todemonstrate innovative functionalities at the trade-off of increased complexity, and ultimately, a reduced capacity formass manufacturing. It is debatable whether there is such a thing as a single ‘killer application’ in lab-on-achip/microfluidic technology but it seems abundantly apparent that through careful consideration by researchers tothe challenges involved in commercialization, an appreciation of the end-user needs and the added value thetechnology provides for a particular application, such technology is likely to find greater prevalence and marketpenetration in the near future.
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