There are however notable exceptions to this trend and a handful of lab-on-a-chip devices have successfully made
it to the market and are ubiquitous in our daily lives, the most obvious examples being the humble inkjet printer
cartridges and the home pregnancy test kit (although not traditionally perceived as but satisfying the technological
specifications of lab-on-a-chip). More niche examples can also be found, such as microarrays and specialist medical
diagnostics devices such as the Triage® cardiac panel (BiositeInc, USA) [5] and the i-Stat (Abbott Laboratories,
USA). It is somewhat unclear why these devices have been more successful than their more modern and more
integrated functionality modern counterparts, but it is believed we are converging closer to the answers. With respect
to devices such as the Triage® cardiac panel and i-Stat, despite their well-developed technology, proven functionality
and aesthetically pleasing designs, their uptake as the benchmark device/technique of preference in their intended
utility within a clinical capacity, has been limited. The reason for this are multi-fold, but primarily are attributed to
cost constraints for a given hospital/clinic and issues relating to user training/clear route for information relay, which
ultimately don’t provide clinicians an added value which far exceeds current practices. This point is echoed in a recent
commentary on microfluidic commercialization by Volpatti et al 2014, where they stress the importance to the
community to strive forward with research into the pressing needs where microfluidics is not only the best, but the
only solution for a given challenge [1]. Holger Becker in an article series for the journal Lab-on-a-chip, based around
the theme of commercialization of microfluidics, very eloquently and insightfully addresses many of the key
challenges and factors relating to the slow uptake of such technology [7-12]. This series provided valuable insights
into the perception of the technology and how due to a complex interplay of the economy of scale in mass
manufacturing, IP issues, lack of standardization, early inflated technological expectations that failed to materialize
and several other crucial factors, the microfluidics industry has yet to flourish to its full potential. He also raises
thought provoking debate as to whether there is such a thing as the ‘killer application’ in microfluidics, a comment
mirrored in an earlier industry focus of microfluidics by Carsten Haber in 2006 [13]. In terms of commercialization
of microfluidics the ‘killer application’ factor has likely played a major role in the reluctant uptake of the wealth of
promising research based lab-on-a-chip technology, as investors are likely opting for alternative technologies with higher profit margins and a more well defined route to market [1]. So what is the solution?