Themed collection Lab on a Chip HOT Articles 2025


Active implantable drug delivery systems: engineering factors, challenges, opportunities
This review outlines a system-level framework for active implantable drug delivery systems (AIDDSs), analyzing how design choices in actuation, powering, and communication affect clinical translation and the development of scalable devices.
Lab Chip, 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00131E

Autonomous Wearable Sensing Enabled by Capillary Microfluidics: A Review
Lab Chip, 2025, Accepted Manuscript
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00536A
Vascular microphysiological systems (MPS): biologically relevant and potent models
Vascular microphysiological systems (MPS) are biologically relevant platforms, enabling the study of physical parameters (shear stress, interstitial flow, permeability) and biomedical applications (tissue modeling, cancer research, drug screening).
Lab Chip, 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00014A
Present and Future of Smart Functional Materials as Actuators in Microfluidic Devices
Lab Chip, 2025, Accepted Manuscript
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00259A

Smartphones as a platform for molecular analysis: concepts, methods, devices and future potential
Smartphones have the potential to transform chemical and biological analysis by functioning as portable, versatile, and democratized platforms for molecular diagnostics. Recent advances in optical detection and devices are reviewed.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 884-955
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4LC00966E
Aptamer selection via versatile microfluidic platforms and their diverse applications
This review examines contributions of microfluidic technology to SELEX-based aptamer identification, with alternative methods such as in vivo-like SELEX and Non-SELEX for selecting aptamers and discussed critical SELEX steps over the past decade.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 1047-1080
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4LC00859F
Recent advances in centrifugal microfluidics for point-of-care testing
Centrifugal microfluidics, with its advantages of rapid and precise fluid control without the need for external pressure, is widely applied in point-of-care testing.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 1015-1046
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4LC00779D

Well-defined assembly of plasmonic metal nanoparticles by dielectrophoresis for highly sensitive SERS-active substrates
Using DEP, plasmonic metal nanoparticles were uniformly assembled into a patterned substrate, forming consistent hotspots and stable SERS signals. The resulting SERS-active substrate enabled highly sensitive molecular detection down to 10−10 M.
Lab Chip, 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00238A
Fluorophilic boronic acid copolymer surfactant for stabilization of complex emulsion droplets with fluorinated oil
We report the synthesis of a fluorophilic boronic acid copolymer surfactant which rigidifies the water/fluorinated oil interface to stabilize droplets.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 2315-2319
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00309A

Bioselective agglutination induced nanoscale deterministic lateral displacement
Using antibody-coated particle aggregation, triggered in the presence of an antigen, enables bioselective separation in nanoscale deterministic lateral displacement, opening this technique for targeting colloids based on biochemical profiles.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 2148-2156
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00079C
LEADS – a comprehensive human liver-on-a-chip for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) drug testing
The key elements in the development of the LEADS chip are highlighted; the crucial features of the chip for mimicking NASH in vitro and its applicability as a pre-clinical drug testing model.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 3444-3466
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00221D
Enhancing microscale printing accuracy in LCD-based 3D printing using an immobilized release film
The printing accuracy in LCD-based 3d printing was enhanced using an immobilized release film.
Lab Chip, 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00452G
Quantifying mechanical opacity as a novel indicator for single-cell phenotyping via integrated dynamic mechanical compression and impedance flow cytometry
Integrated mechanical compression and dual-frequency impedance reveal mechanical opacity as a dynamic, label-free marker of single-cell mechanics and membrane permeability for phenotypic classification.
Lab Chip, 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00489F
Magnetic–enzymatic synergy driven photoelectrochemical aptasensor on a microfluidic chip for sub-pM kanamycin detection
A smartphone-integrated microfluidic photoelectrochemical aptasensor enables automated, sub-pM kanamycin detection via enzymatic–magnetic cascaded amplification and wireless readout.
Lab Chip, 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00450K
Analysis of and methods for void-free liquid filling of blind microchambers in centrifugal microfluidics
Tapered microchannels modify the gas–liquid flow to the annular regime, enabling void-free filling of blind microchambers without the need for complex treatments or external forces.
Lab Chip, 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00323G
Mechanical regulation of nerve stem cells' multiple behaviors via GHz acoustic streaming
This work proposes an acoustic streaming (AS) regulation system, achieving effective results in regulation of various behaviors of neuroectodermal stem cells through precise and adjustable AS shear forces.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 3156-3167
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4LC00867G

3D-printed micro-pore evaporator for increasing concentration of analytes in aqueous solutions
This study presents a micro-3D printed concentrator with micro-pores for solvent evaporation, designed for low-temperature, small-volume sample processing.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 3141-3155
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00329F
A membrane-based immunosensor enabling high antifouling performance and sensitive molecular recognition
A membrane-based immunosensor with high sensitivity and antifouling property is designed by numerical modeling and demonstrated in interleukin-6 detection.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 3123-3131
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00031A

Deciphering the unique inertial focusing behavior of sperm cells
Our 3D DNS-PT modeling approach can predict the inertial focusing of sperm cells with long tails, bridging the gap in understanding the inertial migration of flagellated cells and facilitating the better design of microfluidic sorting devices.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 2874-2886
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00047E

A compartmentalization-free microfluidic digital assay for detecting picogram levels of protein analytes
This work introduces a compartmentalization-free digital detection technique that enhances sensitivity for detecting low-abundance proteins in an automated microfluidic format.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 2862-2873
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00103J
Dual-mode droplet rolling strategy: mimicking Earth's rotation and revolution for dual-cycle synergy in the efficient capture and controlled release of trace targets
Mimicking Earth's rotation and revolution, a dual-mode rolling strategy is developed for dual-cycle synergy in capture-based detection of trace targets.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 2887-2902
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00110B
Microfluidic organoid-slice-on-a-chip system for studying anti-cholangiocarcinoma drug efficacy and hepatorenal toxicity
Organoid-slice-on-a-chip that integrated patient-derived cholangiocarcinoma organoids (CCOs) with recellularized tissue slices provides a biomimetic system for assessing anticancer drug efficacy and hepatorenal toxicity.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 2839-2850
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4LC00902A
A multi-channel wearable sensing patch based on gate-all-around field-effect transistors
A multi-channel wearable sensing patch based on gate-all-around field-effect transistors that enables comprehensive health monitoring.
Lab Chip, 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00162E
Mesenchymal stem cells attenuate diabetic vascular complication by reducing irregular extracellular matrix production in human blood vessel organoids
MSC infiltration of diabetic vasculature.
Lab Chip, 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00107B
Array-structured microcapsule fibers for efficient fire extinguishing in confined spaces
PFH-embedded knotted microfibers engineered via microfluidic spinning achieve triggered fire suppression in confined electrical systems.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 2193-2204
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4LC00802B
A novel microfluidic self-perfusion chip (MSPC) for pumpless 3D cell, microtissue and organoid culture
This study develops a self-perfusion microfluidic chip driven by evaporation that maintains cell culture without external pumps, enabling stable, long-term drug screening and toxicity testing for personalized medicine.
Lab Chip, 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00030K
Synthesis of phospholipid vesicles using an electrokinetic turbulent microreactor
This study presents a novel method for synthesizing phospholipid vesicles using an electrokinetic turbulent microreactor. Multilamellar and giant unilamellar vesicles can be simply produced with their size and morphology being controllable.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 1959-1967
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4LC00992D
Highly efficient isolation and multistep analysis of tumor cells from whole blood
Our microcavity array solution achieves unbiased cell isolation, rapid reagent exchange, and efficient staining for identifying tumor cells in blood.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 1938-1946
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4LC00759J

A simple three-dimensional microfluidic platform for studying chemotaxis and cell sorting
A 3D microfluidic platform for single-cell chemotaxis studies and active cell sorting based on chemotactic phenotypes across diverse applications.
Lab Chip, 2025,25, 343-353
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4LC00892H
About this collection
This themed collection features articles published in Lab on a Chip marked as HOT by the handling editor or as recommended by referees. Congratulations to all the authors whose articles are featured.