The Benefit of Integrating a SERS Assay with a Digital Microfluidics Platform

Recently, the Spring SciX conference took place at the University of Exeter. From April 16–18, attendees gathered to discuss the latest trends and advancements in spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS), and emerging sensing technologies.^1,2

Sian Sloan-Dennison, who is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Strathclyde, attended Spring SciX this year. As part of our coverage of the Spring SciX conference, she sat down with Spectroscopy to talk about what was discussed at the conference and what her talk focused on. In the below video segment, Sloan-Dennison discusses how integrating a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) assay with a digital microfluidics (DMF) platform improves sensitivity, reproducibility, and throughput compared to traditional bulk-solution approaches.

At Spring SciX, Sloan-Dennison’s talk presented a new diagnostic platform designed to improve the rapid detection of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), a major clinical challenge caused by prescription and over-the-counter medications. In the UK, paracetamol overdose is the leading cause of DILI, accounting for roughly 100,000 hospital visits annually, highlighting the need for faster and more accurate diagnostic tools.³ Current methods are limited by slow turnaround times and reliance on biomarkers that are not liver-specific and rise only after significant injury has occurred.³

To address these shortcomings, Sloan-Dennison’s team targeted microRNA-122, a liver-specific biomarker, using a SERS-based magnetic hybridization assay.³ Although the assay has traditionally been performed in bulk solution, researchers transferred it to a DMF platform to improve sensitivity, reproducibility, throughput, and reduce sample volume requirements. DMF technology manipulates tiny droplets on a chip through electrowetting, enabling automated dispensing, mixing, incubation, and analysis.³

By integrating the DMF platform with a portable Raman spectrometer, the researchers achieved approximately 100-fold greater sensitivity compared to the conventional solution-based assay.³ Preliminary testing with human samples also showed promising results. The team envisions this DMF-SERS platform as a rapid, portable point-of-care tool for earlier DILI detection and improved patient management.

References

1. Wetzel, W.; Spectroscopy Staff. Previewing Spring SciX 2026. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/previewing-spring-scix-2026 (accessed 2026-05-06).
2. Bocklitz, T.; Wetzel, W. The Key Takeaways from Spring SciX 2026. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/the-key-takeaways-from-spring-scix-2026 (accessed 2026-05-06).
3. Sloan-Dennison, S. Droplets to Diagnosis: Digital Microfluidic SERS Detection of microRNA-122. Presented at Spring SciX, Exeter, United Kingdom, 2026. Available at: https://rapide-diagnostics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Spring-SciX-Programme.pdf