Abstract

The pharmaceutical industry has undergone a transformative paradigm shift in drug discovery and development, driven by the integration of microfluidic technology. Microfluidics is a considerably newer branch of science and technology that involves systems that use channels with sizes ranging from tens to a few hundred micrometers to process small (10-9 to 10-18 l) volumes of fluid. In the past few decades, microfluidic technology has been predominantly used in biotechnology, including cloning and unit cell analysis. However, recent advancements in drug delivery technologies, along with the drawbacks associated with conventional methods, have gained the attention of scientists worldwide in the use of microfluidic technology in drug discovery and delivery. As a result, several products, especially point-of-care devices, have surfaced in the market in the last few years. According to Grand View Research, it is bound to grow with a compound annual growth rate of 12.19% from 2020 to 2030. In this review, we have attempted to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information about the fabrication, benefits, and application of microfluidics in the pharmaceutical industry. Despite the advantages, we acknowledge the challenges and have highlighted the recent advancements, their potential in drug discovery and development, and pandemic situations such as COVID-19.

Key words: Microfluidics, Drug discovery and development, Lab-on-chip, Organ-On-Chip, Drug Delivery