Biomimetic, Phase-Change Microsystems for Breath Condensate Based Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Herein, we report on a novel, biomimetic [Stenocara gracilipes (Namib desert beetle)]-based microsystem, for collecting exhaled breath for use in point-of-care (POC) settings. The overall platform consists of a 50x50 mm 3D printed micro-chamber which is decorated with a PDMS micromolded Breath Condensate Collection Chip (BCCC) emulating the morphology of the beetle. The micro-chamber and BCCC are further treated with superhydrophobic coatings for enhancement in condensate collection. Breath trials were conducted to determine optimum biomimetic design, conditions for ease of use and efficient collection resulting in a maximum of ~82µL breath condensate recorded in 30s which can be further analyzed for potential biomarkers with our established wireless, microfluidic, imaging platform [1]. This microsystem exhibits the potential to be adapted to a variety of different POC assays: agglutination, colorimetric, and bead-based [2], [3], [4]. Furthermore, this diagnostic platform can be utilized to screen for a multitude of viruses/biomarkers present in exhaled breath [5].