Integration of Isothermal Amplification (IA) Assays into Microfluidic Components for Point-Of-Care COVID-19 Testing

This PhD project aims to develop a simple, portable platform for COVID-19 detection. Current methods like PCR are accurate but slow and costly, while rapid antigen tests are faster but less reliable. To address this gap, the thesis investigates two rapid isothermal amplification techniques, Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) and Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA), integrated with microfluidic components for near-patient testing applications. The work includes a systematic review of LAMP and RPA studies, the design of a finger-powered LAMP device, and a paper-based RPA system. These platforms have the potential to be used as user-friendly, portable diagnostic tools in low-resource settings.