International Journal of Drug Research and Technology

COMBINING MICROTITRE TECHNOLOGY AND MICROFLUIDICS FOR FASTER DRUG DISCOVERY

Abstract

Yimin Cui*

Improved in vitro determinations of drug efficacy and cellular response to administered drugs will be possible by detecting multiple components from a single RBC sample using a flow-based system in less than 20 minutes. By incorporating multiple cell types into a single device, this is an example of an improved in vitro measurement involving iloprost, a drug that is said to increase blood flow. An 18-well microfluidic array that serves as a precursor to a 96-well micro titre plate device can be addressed by fluid flow using this method. The ability of the microfluidic array presented here to better mimic the in vivo circulation by incorporating the flow of blood components, as well as simultaneous detection and laboratory automation for micro titre plates, suggest that improved mechanistic drug research studies will be possible. The micro fluidic array can also be used to measure the concentrations of various metabolites in the RBC using fluorescence microscopy. Here, we discuss the current progress made toward using this device for personalized medicine. Together, the advantages of micro fluidic technologies and automation of micro titre plates may make it possible for biotechnology advancements involving better replicas of in vivo processes. For instance, the properties of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) of drug candidates will be able to be examined during drug research on a platform that is more realistic if a flow-based and multicellular system can be integrated with the technology that is already available for microtitre plates.