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Advancing Point‑of‑Care Cardiovascular Diagnostics: Our MIMIC Platform Published in Chemical Engineering Journal

  • 23 hours ago
  • 2 min read

Heart attacks and other serious cardiovascular conditions require fast and accurate diagnosis, yet many advanced DNA‑based tests still rely on complex laboratory procedures that are slow, resource‑intensive, and inaccessible outside specialised facilities. The MIMIC platform solves this problem by enabling automated extraction of circulating cell‑free DNA from very small blood samples, using a compact microfluidic device suitable for point‑of‑care settings. By simplifying DNA preparation while improving yield and reliability, this technology has the potential to bring molecular‑level diagnostics closer to patients, supporting earlier detection, faster clinical decision‑making, and broader access to precision cardiovascular care.


We are delighted to share our recent publication entitled“MIMIC platform: Automated microfluidic platform for efficient circulating cell‑free DNA extraction and cardiovascular disease diagnostics at the point of care”, published in the Chemical Engineering Journal (2026).


Tackling a Key Bottleneck in Liquid Biopsy Diagnostics

Circulating cell‑free DNA (cfDNA) is an increasingly important biomarker for cardiovascular disease diagnosis, particularly in acute conditions such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Despite its clinical promise, widespread adoption of cfDNA testing has been hindered by labour‑intensive workflows, contamination risks, and poor compatibility with point‑of‑care settings.


To address this challenge, our team developed the Mechanically Integrated Microfluidic Chip (MIMIC) platform — a compact, fully automated microfluidic system designed to streamline cfDNA extraction with minimal sample input. The platform integrates magnetic bead manipulation and automated reagent handling, enabling efficient, reproducible, and contamination‑free processing suitable for clinical translation.

Scientific and Clinical Impact

The MIMIC platform demonstrated several notable advantages over conventional extraction approaches:

  • 2.7‑fold improvement in cfDNA recovery efficiency

  • Reliable extraction from as little as 10 μL of plasma

  • High analytical robustness with no observable cross‑contamination

  • Successful identification of mitochondrial DNA biomarkers associated with AMI

Importantly, the system was able to differentiate AMI patients from non‑AMI and healthy individuals, highlighting its potential as a rapid, point‑of‑care diagnostic tool for cardiovascular disease. These results underscore the platform’s promise for scalable deployment in time‑critical clinical environments.


We appreciate cross‑institutional partnerships with Prince of Wales and PolyU as critical for advancing point‑of‑care technologies from engineering innovation toward real‑world medical impact.


The MIMIC platform establishes a strong foundation for next‑generation point‑of‑care molecular diagnostics.


Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal (2026)

Article: 174540

DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2026.174540


 
 
 

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