The MultiLab project has achieved a significant milestone with the successful delivery of its first integrated prototype, a modular, multi-modal optical lab-on-chip platform designed for low-cost, multipurpose diagnostics and environmental monitoring. This milestone marks the transition from component-level research to a fully integrated system combining optics, microfluidics, and data intelligence into a compact, functional prototype.
The MultiLab instrument integrates three cutting-edge photonic sensing technologies:
– Electrochemiluminescence (ECL): detects biochemical targets through time-resolved visible light emission.
– Plasmonic Augmented Arrayed Waveguide Grating (PA-AWG): uses nanophotonic interferometry at 1550 nm to sense molecular and microbial interactions.
– Photothermal Spectroscopy (PTS-MZI): enables mid-infrared absorption-based detection of environmental nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates.
Each sensing modality operates under a shared optical readout system, combining visible (VIS), short-wave infrared (SWIR), and mid-infrared (MIR) imaging within one modular instrument. Version 1 (Integrated Instruments v1) includes:
– Hybrid optical readout architecture.
– Custom-designed microfluidics made of PDMS/COC materials, ensuring stable, leak-free operation via the new MultiMEC mechanical clamping system.
– A syringe-based Sample Delivery Subsystem offering high-precision fluid handling (0.5–2.5 mL, 100–4300 µL/min), complete with a user-friendly GUI.
– An embedded System-on-Module enabling real-time acquisition and synchronization of cameras, light sources, and electrochemical triggers, paving the way for cloud-based data analytics in future iterations. These developments consolidate the progress of all sensing and actuation modules, providing a robust foundation for validation activities scheduled for the coming months.
The prototype will be used to demonstrate MultiLab’s versatility in two key application areas:
- a) Healthcare case study: Early warning of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) for water quality monitoring.
- b) Environmental case study: Rapid diagnosis of Fever Without an Apparent Source, distinguishing bacterial from viral infections.
With this integration milestone achieved, MultiLab is now entering the validation and optimisation phase, aiming to refine optical performance and establish direct data communication with the MultiLab Cloud platform.
The project is being coordinated by CyRIC, Cyprus Research and Innovation Center Ltd, in the framework of EU’s Horizon Europe Programme. The project was launched on 1st January 2024 and will run for four years.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or of the granting authority. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project partners include: CYRIC – Cyprus Research and Innovation Centre (Cyprus), Bialoom LTD (Cyprus), UOI – University of Ioannina (Greece), AMO GmbH (Germany), Multitel (Belgium), SERGAS – Servizo Galego de Saude (Spain), CNRS – Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France), TUW – Technische Universität Wien (Austria), AQL – Aquamonitrix Limited (Ireland), DEEPLAB IKE (Greece) and Alpes Lasers SA (Switzerland).