Static mode microfluidic cantilevers for detection of waterborne pathogens

This paper reports on the first demonstration of polymeric microfluidic cantilever sensors. Microcantilever sensors, magnetic beads, and microfluidic technology have been combined to create a polymer based biosensor. Using cheap materials like polyimide, a simple fabrication method has been developed to produce cantilevers with an embedded microfluidic channel. The advantage of this approach is that the addition of a microfluidic channel enables the analysis of smaller volumes and increases the capture efficiency in applications detecting rare analytes. As a proof of principle the system has been applied for the detection of the waterborne protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium, achieving sensitivity comparable to QCM, whereas a previous set-up without the microfluidic channel was unable to detect the parasite.