Droplet Microfluidics—A Tool for Biosensing and Bioengineering Applications

Disease detection, single-cell analysis, biochemical reactions, etc. are of profound interest in several biomedical and bioengineering applications. These important processes require several profound aspects, e.g., lower consumption of reagent, rapid reactions, rapid detection, high throughput, etc. needs to be satiated. Droplet microfluidics has addressed all the desired aspects needed to achieve these applications by providing a compatible environment for biosensing and bioengineering reactions, smaller footprint, rapid detection, quick reaction, etc. These advantageous features have made droplet microfluidics a potent high throughput platform for biomedical research and applications. In addition to this, droplet microfluidics facilitates encapsulation of cells, reagents, drugs, particle synthesis, which makes droplet microfluidics a promising tool for biosensing and bioengineering applications. In this chapter, we will discuss both open surface and in-channel droplet microfluidics and their role in several biomedical applications.