On a chip

Biological or biomedical microelectromechanical systems (BioMEMS) are poised to have a significant impact on clinical and biomedical applications. These devicesalso termed lab-on-chip or point-of-care (POC) sensorsrepresent a significant opportunity in various patient-centric settings, including at home, at the doctors office, in ambulances on the way to the hospital, in emergency rooms (ERs), at the hospital bedside, in rural and global health settings, and in clinical or commercial diagnostic laboratories. The potential impact of these technologies on the early diagnosis and management of disease can be very high for sensing and reporting on parameters ranging from physiological to biomolecular.