Cutting edge: A prefilled, ready-to-use electrophoresis based lab-on-a-chip device for monitoring lithium in blood.

We present the Medimate Multireader, the first point-of-care lab on a chip device that is based on capillary electrophoresis. It employs disposable pre-filled microfluidic chips with closed electrode reservoirs and a single sample opening. Several technological innovations allow operation with closed reservoirs, which is essential for reliable point-of-care operation. The chips are inserted into a hand-held analyzer. In the present application, the device is used to measure the lithium concentration in blood. Lithium is quantified by conductivity detection after separation from other blood ions. Measurements in patients show good accuracy and precision, and there is no difference between the results obtained by skilled and non-skilled operators. This point-of-care device shows great promise as a platform for the determination of ionic substances in diagnostics or environmental analysis.