Early diagnosis of infections, genetic disorders, and metabolic disorders are some of the most serious challenges to the health care system worldwide, especially in India, and are essential in the management of infection/disease, treatment decisions, and response to treatment. The current diagnostic tools include; (1) serological assays, (2) molecular assays, and (3) routine biochemical tests. All these methods lack accuracy, require trained technicians, are expensive as well as time-consuming. In my group, we are involved in developing diagnostic tools that are “affordable”; for example developing microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPAD) or paper-microfluidic devices coupled with an instrument-free or portable device, which is coupled with ambient temperature amplification technology while using optical and/or electrochemical detection system for quantification of nucleic acid (NA). Apart from this, my group is also interested in developing: 

• Paper-based devices as Raman immune--sensor.
• Non-conventional methods to fabricate microfluidic devices.
• Biopolymer microfluidic devices for tissue engineering and cell culture.
• 3D printing and 3D cell culture.
• Generation of "site targeted" drug delivery vectors for drug delivery and diagnosis, using microfluidic devices.

Selected Publications

Long term stabilization of blood typing antibodies using a bioactive paper-based microfluidic device, ShahilaParween, Ira Bhatnagar, Suchitra Bhosale, Shivangi Paradkar, Issac. J. Michael, Ch. Mohan Rao, Amit Asthana, Int. J. Biol. Macromol., 15 November 2020,163, 1233-1239.

An affordable, rapid determination of total lipid profile using a paper-based microfluidic device, ShahilaParween, P. Debishree Subudhi, Amit Asthana, Sensors & Actuators: B. Chemical, 2019, 285, 405-412.

Fabrication of cost-effective and efficient paper-based device for viscosity measurement, Anirudh Rayaprolu; Saurabh K Srivastava; LavleenBhati; Ketan Anand; Amit Asthana, Ph.D.; Ch. Mohan Rao, Analytica Chimica Acta, 2018, 1044,86-92.

Chitosan as a biomaterial in drug delivery and tissue engineering, S. M. Ahsan. M. Thomas, K. K. Reddy, S. G. Sooraparaju, A. Asthana, I. Bhatnagar, Int. J. Biol. Macromol., 2018, 110, 97-109.

Chitosan stabilized gold nanoparticle-mediated self-assembled gliPnanobiosensor for diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillosis, I. Bhatnagar, K. Mahato, K. K. Reddy Ealla, A. Asthana, P. Chandra, Int. J. Biol. Macromol., 2018, 110, 449-456.