March 2019,

mFluiDx is a UC Berkeley startup developing Gates Foundation funded low-cost microfluidic diagnostic technologies capable of on-site multi-target isothermal DNA detection of infectious diseases with simple operation and ~100X lower cost than PCR setups. mFluiDx aims to create assays that can be deployed in decentralized settings, are as simple and cheap as paper tests, yet have DNA level sensitivity for onsite diagnosis.

mFluiDx is aiming to develop the world’s lowest cost, automated point-of-care DNA diagnostic assay for small clinics. In small clinics, such as primary care out-patient clinics, disease diagnosis is typically done by observing symptoms or using paper-strip antibody tests. However, these methods have poor sensitivity compared to DNA diagnostics. Highly sensitive molecular DNA tests (PCR) are not often used because of cost and the need to send tests off-site resulting in a slow turnaround time (several days).