Microparticle and cell counting with digital microfluidic compact disc using standard CD drive

Lab-on-chip medical diagnostics in a global health setting would greatly benefit from highly portable, cost effective and readily available devices. Digital compact disc (CD) and the corresponding detection device - CD drives - for personal computers are extremely affordable and distributable worldwide, therefore they can be immediately used in global health applications if empowered with molecular and cellular biosensing functions. Here we present a novel digital microfluidic CD device derived from conventional music or data CD and demonstrate its preliminary application of counting polystyrene microparticles and living cells in minute-volume fluidic samples. No other detection instruments except for a standard CD drive in a personal computer is used for reading and decoding the quantitative liquid sample information from the digital microfluidic CD. The results presented herein are the first step towards creating a truly portable, low-cost and ubiquitously accessible device - health diagnostic compact disc (HDCD) - for biosensing and health diagnostics, especially in remote or impoverished settings with limited medical infrastructure and healthcare workers.