Integrating Microfluidics Chips into Vector-Borne Disease Surveillance: Technological Breakthroughs and Persistent Hurdles.

BACKGROUND

Vector-borne diseases (VBDs), such as malaria, dengue, and Zika virus infections, remain a critical global health burden, particularly in resource-limited regions. Conventional diagnostic methods, including microscopy, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and polymerase chain reaction, face significant limitations due to their reliance on centralized laboratories, lengthy processing times, and high operational costs, hindering timely disease management in remote or underserved areas.

OBJECTIVE

Microfluidic diagnostics have emerged as a transformative solution, offering portability, system integration, and high sensitivity through miniaturized fluidic control and multiplexed detection capabilities. These devices enable rapid, on-site diagnosis by combining sample preparation, target amplification, and signal readout into a single chip, aligning with the growing demand for point-of-care testing.

METHODS

This review was conducted following a systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases from January 2010 to June 2026. Search terms included combinations of "microfluidic," "lab-on-a-chip," "point-of-care," "vector-borne disease," "malaria," "dengue," "Zika," "West Nile virus," "Lyme disease," and "CRISPR." Inclusion criteria were (1) peer-reviewed articles reporting microfluidic chip applications for VBD pathogen detection or vector surveillance; (2) studies describing field-deployable or clinically validated platforms; and (3) publications in English. Exclusion criteria included purely theoretical modeling studies without experimental validation and nonchip-based microfluidic systems. A total of 87 studies were selected for qualitative synthesis after title/abstract screening and full-text evaluation. We critically evaluate real-world application scenarios, including field deployments for malaria surveillance in Uganda and outbreak responses to arboviral infections in Brazil and Southeast Asia, while addressing persistent translational barriers such as manufacturing standardization, sample pretreatment complexity, and cost-effectiveness.

RESULTS

Key findings demonstrate the successful integration of sample-to-answer workflows on miniaturized platforms, achieving significant reductions in detection time and operational dependencies compared with conventional laboratory methods. Critical challenges identified include manufacturing scalability for resource-limited settings, complex sample pretreatment requirements, and the pressing need for cost reduction to ensure sustainable deployment in endemic regions.

CONCLUSION

This review aims to explore emerging integration strategies beyond conventional diagnostics, focusing on approaches such as CRISPR-based assays, artificial intelligence-driven image analysis, and scalable manufacturing processes to strengthen global VBD control networks and improve clinical outcomes in underserved populations.

CONCLUSION

This review aims to explore emerging integration strategies beyond conventional diagnostics, focusing on approaches such as CRISPR-based assays, simplified image analysis, and scalable manufacturing processes to strengthen global VBD control networks and improve clinical outcomes in underserved populations. Specific recommendations for phased deployment in endemic regions, including pilot beta-testing programs and technology transfer partnerships, are proposed to accelerate translational impact.