MIMIC platform: Automated microfluidic platform for efficient circulating cell-free DNA extraction and cardiovascular disease diagnostics at the point of care

Efficient nucleic acid extraction is essential for clinical diagnostics, yet conventional methods remain labour-intensive, contamination-prone, and unsuitable for point-of-care testing (POCT). To address these limitations, we developed the Mechanically Integrated Microfluidic Chip (MIMIC) platform. This portable, fully automated system integrates magnetic bead transport and buffer loading for streamlined extraction of cfDNA. The platform demonstrated a 55.5% recovery concentration for sheared pure genomic DNA with a known concentration, representing a 2.7-fold improvement over conventional protocols. Real-time RGB tracking confirmed precise reagent flow and chip stability, validating its biochemical performance. The magnetic-bead carrier system enables sequential navigation through distinct microchannel zones, ensuring reproducible and contamination-free processing. In cardiovascular diagnostics, the MIMIC platform successfully extracted cfDNA from 10 μL of plasma in a cohort of 15 samples comprising 5 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 9 non-AMI patients, and 4 healthy individuals. Quantitative analysis of mitochondrial DNA (MT-ND1) revealed significantly elevated concentrations in AMI samples, underscoring its diagnostic potential. The assay demonstrated 100% sensitivity in detecting MT-ND1 bands in all 5 AMI samples, with 77% specificity across 13 non-AMI/healthy samples. Reproducibility was consistent across AMI, non-AMI, and healthy cohorts using 10 μL of plasma input on the MIMIC platform, with no cross-contamination observed in gel electrophoresis results. This integrated system offers a scalable, high-yield solution for cfDNA isolation, advancing POCT capabilities in biomedical and cardiovascular research. The MIMIC platform has the potential to be upgraded to enhance its high-throughput capacity for the simultaneous processing of multiple samples, thereby optimising cost-efficiency and compatibility with clinical workflows for rapid nucleic acid extraction and downstream diagnostic applications. © 2026 Published by Elsevier B.V.