Microfluidic and Lab-on-a-Chip Technologies for Point-of-Care Diagnosis of Neglected Tropical Parasitic Diseases: A Critical Review

Microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip technologies have emerged as transformative platforms for
point-of-care diagnosis, offering the potential to decentralize testing while maintaining analytical
performance comparable to laboratory-based methods. This literature review synthesizes recent
advancements published between 2024 and 2026 across four key technological domains: (1)
paper-based microfluidic analytical devices (μPADs) for low-cost parasitic disease screening; (2)
digital microfluidics (DMF) enabling automated nucleic acid amplification testing; (3) integrated
sample-to-answer platforms combining plasma separation with downstream analysis; and (4)
multiplexed detection systems designed for co-endemic settings. Critical appraisal of peer-reviewed
sources reveals that while microfluidic platforms demonstrate sensitivity and specificity
approaching gold-standard methods for malaria, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, and
trypanosomiasis, significant barriers remain in manufacturing scalability, regulatory approval
pathways, and field stability under tropical conditions. The convergence of microfluidics with
isothermal amplification techniques and CRISPR-based detection has yielded prototype devices
with detection limits as low as 0.7–5 parasites per microliter of blood, yet few have achieved
commercial translation. This review concludes that the successful deployment of microfluidic
technologies for neglected tropical parasitic diseases requires coordinated efforts in cost reduction,
user-centered design, and integration with digital health infrastructure to meet World Health
Organization REASSURED criteria.

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