How Microfluidic Biochemical Analyzers Empower Primary Care Physicians: Attracting Patients and Mitigating Clinical Risks — Insights from Dr. Zhanhui Wang, CTO of Tianjin MNChip Technologies

From May 17 to 18, VCBeat’s “2017 China Primary Healthcare Innovation Practice Forum” was held in Chengdu. Mr. Wang Zhanhui, CTO of Tianjin Micro-Nano Chip Technology Co., Ltd., was invited to deliver a speech titled “New Opportunities Brought by Microfluidic Biochemical Analyzers to Community-Level Primary Care.” This article presents an edited compilation of the highlights from his presentation.

MicroNanox is a high-tech medical device company founded by researchers and managers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is dedicated to designing fully automated biochemical analyzers for primary healthcare institutions, with products based on microfluidic technology,Just 2–3 drops of whole blood from the subject are required; using a compact testing device, 14 biochemical parameters can be measured within 10 minutes.。

Lab-on-a-Chip Microfluidics Technology is a technique for the precise manipulation and control of nanoliter- and picoliter-scale fluids within microscale channels.This technology plays a pivotal role in biomedical fields such as organic synthesis, microreactors, and chemical analysis. It has garnered significant attention from both industry and academia, with companies like GPS, Abbott, and Samsung actively engaged in related research.However, Tianjin Micro-Nano Chip is the first company in China to apply microfluidic technology to biochemical analysis., overseas, companies such as Eppendorf in the United States and Samsung in South Korea have also developed related biochemical analysis systems.

China has nearly one million medical institutions, including 20,400 hospitals, with the remainder being primary healthcare facilities at the township level and below. Due to their high cost, complex maintenance requirements, and need for specialized personnel to operate them, large-scale biochemical testing equipment is only suitable for high-volume sample testing. Primary medical institutions, such as community health centers, township health centers, and clinics, generally do not purchase such equipment due to low demand. Consequently, patients requiring blood biochemical tests must visit hospitals to have these tests performed.

Without routine diagnostic tests available at primary care institutions, physicians are unable to provide adequate medical services, forcing patients to seek care at large hospitals, which hinders the effective implementation of tiered diagnosis and treatment.

Against this backdrop, Tianjin Micro-Nano Core has developed the Celercare and Pointcare fully automated biochemical analyzers. Priced at approximately one-tenth that of large-scale equipment, these devices require only three drops of whole blood and 10 minutes to deliver results for more than 10 biochemical parameters. Furthermore, Micro-Nano Core offers additional advantages tailored to the diverse needs of primary healthcare settings:

Easy to operate: To address the shortage of professional operators at the primary care level, Micro-Nano Core has designed these devices with one-touch operation, making them so simple that basic medical staff can use them, much like a point-and-shoot camera.

The equipment's operating costs are also very low.Large-scale equipment requires preheating before use and cleaning afterward. Reagent kits are designed for multiple tests, often leading to waste when sample volumes are low, with daily maintenance costs ranging from 100 to 200 yuan. In contrast, Mindray’s devices are ready for immediate use upon startup, require no cleaning, and utilize single-test reagent kits that eliminate waste and prevent cross-contamination, with zero maintenance costs. This makes them highly suitable for primary healthcare institutions with low sample volumes.

Point-of-Care Testing: To save costs, traditional methods require waiting until a sufficient number of samples are collected before initiating testing, resulting in a turnaround time of at least one day. In contrast, Mindray’s devices can process individual samples, completing the analysis within ten to twenty minutes while eliminating concerns about blood sample stability.

Integration with Mobile Health: Designed from the outset with integration into mobile healthcare in mind, it aims to serve as an effective and convenient tool for implementing online mobile medical services. Therefore, it incorporates advanced wireless communication features such as 3G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. The device automatically connects to the cloud server upon startup, enabling fast and convenient transmission of all test data via the cloud. After patients complete blood tests using the device, the results are transmitted to physicians’ online terminals, allowing doctors to review the data for diagnostic purposes or to guide patient treatment and medication.

Portable: The microfluidic biochemical analysis system is compact, weighing approximately 2 kilograms, allowing primary care physicians to transport it in their vehicles for house calls and on-site examinations, which provides significant support to doctors working in township health centers.

Extensive Test Menu: Currently, the device can detect more than 30 items, covering all routine blood biochemical indicators such as liver function, renal function, blood glucose, blood lipids, electrolytes, and myocardial enzymes.

A physician at a clinic in Baoding, Hebei Province, once provided the following feedback to MNX: “After installing this device,”The greatest benefit is helping primary care physicians mitigate risks., specific patient conditions can be determined through testing,Severe cases are referred to large hospitals, while non-severe cases are treated locally; this approach avoids delaying patient care and reduces the incidence of medical accidents.。

Although Tianjin Micro-Nano Core’s fully automated biochemical analyzer is specifically designed for primary healthcare institutions, its accuracy remains uncompromised. Built on microfluidic technology, employing optical detection principles consistent with those of large-scale fully automated biochemical analyzers, and utilizing imported core components, the product ensures the precision and stability of both each device and its test results., previously, Mindray conducted several experiments, demonstrating that all parameters met national standards and yielded test results consistent with those of products from companies such as Roche and Olympus; therefore, many tertiary hospitals are also using them.

However, this device is designed for primary care settings and is not suitable for large-scale testing.Therefore, it is not suitable for the clinical laboratories of large hospitals; however, due to its low blood sample requirement and rapid processing speed, it is well-suited for departments such as pediatrics and emergency medicine.. Currently, Micro-Nano Core's products have been installed in over 3,500 medical institutions across more than 20 countries domestically and internationally. Among its Chinese users, approximately 10% are from tertiary hospitals or above, while 90% are from township health centers and other primary healthcare institutions at or below that level.

In addition, Wang Zhanhui stated that Tianjin Micro-Nano Core’s products also serve the military; its microfluidic biochemical analyzers are not only installed in the medical vehicles of the People’s Armed Police but will also be deployed on naval vessels.It has also passed the rigorous tests conducted by the China Astronaut Research and Training Center thanks to its superior performance, and is scheduled to be deployed on China’s first space station around 2020 to provide health care services for astronauts onboard.