Engineering a microfluidic diagnostic platform for ultra‑rapid pathogen detection
Services
- Design engineering
- Project management
- Custom solutions
- Performance testing
- Process design
- Rapid prototyping
- Software development
- Interface design
- 3D modelling
- Aesthetic models
- Medical Electronics
- Batch production and assembly
- Optical integration
- Functional prototyping
- Concept generation
Sector
- medical
Client
Website
https://pictura.bio/PicturaBio is a medical device spin-out from the University of Oxford, developing a point of care near-instantaneous pathogen detection platform for faster diagnostics through advanced imaging technology and machine learning.
Having contributed to their pre-seed investment pitch, OPD was ideally positioned to help. The PicturaBio team was able to leverage our microfluidics experience and expertise, including the prototyping of fluidic chips driven by our proprietary microfluidics development platform.
OPD is independently ISO 13485 certified and experienced in designing and delivering medical devices to meet regulatory standards and guiding young companies to adopt and develop these practices for themselves. OPD also has onsite laboratories, including biological safety containment level 2 (CL2) registered space. This gives us the capability of working with live pathogens for testing of designs, alongside our in-house facilities for pilot-scale device manufacture.
PicturaBio sought OPD’s help in translating their benchtop sample preparation workflows onto a proof-of-principle automated consumable and point of care instrument platform, whilst allowing flexibility to accommodate changes within the assay.
The key challenge was converting a complex laboratory research workflow into a practical point of care diagnostic system. This required integrating microfluidics, imaging hardware and data analysis into a robust instrument platform.
Precise, repeatable positioning and concentration of viral particles were essential for accurate detection
PicturaBio’s technology relies on detecting viral particles using advanced optical imaging and machine-learning analysis. The underlying research demonstrated strong potential, but translating this approach into a deployable diagnostic system presented a significant engineering challenge.
A critical requirement was to develop a consumable capable of preparing the sample and maintaining the viral material in a consistent position in the imaging plane. Precise, repeatable positioning and concentration of viral particles were essential for accurate detection.
The consumable cartridge also required production at a prototype manufacturing scale (100s to 1000s units).
During development, the scientific workflow was still evolving, meaning the system design needed to remain adaptable and future proofed while the assay continued to develop.
A bespoke optical bench compatible with their system while providing the required resolution and clarity on the pathogen-scale was needed to move away from research microscopy platforms.
The medical device market is incredibly competitive, and development is time-sensitive. We were drawn to use OPD’s established design team and expertise in both medical device development and microfluidics to accelerate development and demonstrate rapid progress to our investors.
Working closely with PicturaBio, OPD was able to quickly start work towards demonstrating the engineering proof-of-principle and forecast a practical route forward to development of the end product.
Starting with a top-level system concept, we identified which aspects of the system could be proven independently and leveraged our microfluidics platform to rapidly iterate the drive systems around them. This efficient process enabled the design of each fluidic module to be advanced quickly and in isolation from integration challenges, while de-risking critical subsystems to allow PicturaBio to generate technical evidence required for gaining further investors.
Engineering work focused on building proof-of-principle systems
Early collaboration with the PicturaBio team began before the company secured initial funding. Workshops with OPD helped define the technical challenges and establish a realistic development roadmap to support the PicturaBio team with fundraising.
Once funding was secured, development accelerated rapidly. Engineering work focused on building proof-of-principle (PoP) systems that could demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.
Microfluidic consumable cartridges were developed to manage sample preparation, reagent mixing and presentation of viral particles for imaging.
In parallel, a bespoke optical architecture was designed to support high-resolution imaging within a more compact and user-centric system.
Prototype cartridge manufacturing enabled real system testing rather than purely conceptual development, allowing the team to generate experimental data as the programme progressed.
From pre-spin-out, OPD has helped PicturaBio reach Alpha system development of their point of care image-based pathogen detection diagnostics system, and with OPD’s expertise has been able to maintain a rapid pace of development around testing of the pathogen detection platform.
The platform OPD helped create enabled Pictura Bio’s shift from academic research to a commercially credible, fundable diagnostic technology.
Reduced technical risk and the narrative investors needed
More than 2,000 prototype cartridges were produced during the development programme, enabling extensive system testing and assay experimentation.
Three generations of microfluidic device platform were developed to support automated sample preparation and evolving assay workflows.
A bespoke TIRF microscope architecture was created to support imaging of viral particles as small as 50 nanometers within the diagnostic system .
The structured programme allowed the team to maintain development pace while staying aligned with planned milestones and investor expectations.
OPD’s integration, design‑for‑test, and system‑level thinking reduced technical risk and provided the narrative investors needed to support multiple rounds.
We joined the programme early and focused on turning a complex research workflow into something that could be engineered, tested and demonstrated quickly. By breaking the system into consumables and optics, and building proof at each stage, we helped the team move at pace while building confidence in both the technology and the product direction
OPD was available early and ensured they fully understood our project requirements and were ready to begin as soon as we’d secured our funding. Their pragmatic approach and breakdown of product development into discrete work packets made planning easier and costs transparent. Everything went smoothly and according to the planned timelines.
