Biochips for Physical Exercise Studies

Abstract

In early 1990s, microfluidics technology was mainly aiming at the manipulation of fluids in micro-scale and nanoscale. At present, with the development of microfluidics, it has been widely used in the life science and medical researches with significant achievements. The microfluidics technology can be used in single cell capture, cell screening, and synthesis of biomacromolecules. Some microfluidic chips have already been commercialized and applied in disease detection, drug delivery and bioscience. However, the physical index oriented wearable technology ignored another part of the most important indications in health monitoring i.e. the body fluid. The body fluid in this review refers to the blood, sweat, interstitial fluid, saliva, tears, and urine. The current medical procedures for the testing of body fluid involve using highly sophisticated instrument such as atomic absorption spectrometry, ion chromatography and gas chromatograph for the detection of specific targets in body fluid. For correct detection of changes in body fluids, it is necessary to intervene in body fluids naturally. Physical fatigue is known to have a direct effect on body fluids. For this reason, microfluidic chips are used in experiments after exercise. Also exercise; diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, muscle, immune, and age-related decline in cognitive function have been documented against the protect. In addition, regular physical exercise is the most powerful initiative known to have positive effects on health and aging.