Microfluidic platform and related methods and systems

A method to fabricate a chamber of a microfluidic platform, the method comprising

• depositing carriers on a suitable substrate, the carriers adapted to attach aptamers, thus forming a carriers-substrate combination;
• bonding the carriers-substrate combination to a microfluidic structure open at its bottom, the binders-substrate combination forming a bottom surface thus resulting in a microfluidic chamber;
• introducing the aptamers into the microfluidic chamber;
• and
• attaching the aptamers to the carriers in the microfluidic chamber.

A method to detect targets from a target providing material, the method comprising

• providing a microfluidic chamber comprising a substrate on which a target binding aptamer attaching a spectroscopic probe is located, the target binding aptamer capable of specifically binding a pre-determined target;
• placing one or more target producing materials in the microfluidic chamber on the substrate;
• detecting a first spectrum of the spectroscopic probe attached to the target binding aptamer;
• stimulating the target producing material for a time and under conditions to allow production of the target from the target producing material and binding of the target with the target binding aptamer;
• detecting a second spectrum of the spectroscopic probe attached to the target binding aptamer following binding of the target with the aptamer;
• and
• comparing the first spectrum and the second spectrum.

A detection method comprising:

• providing a microfluidic chamber comprising a substrate on which aptamer sensors are located on carriers, each aptamer sensor comprising an aptamer attaching a spectroscopic probe, the aptamer capable to specifically bind a target;
• placing one or more cells in the microfluidic chamber above the substrate;
• stimulating the one or more cells to elicit generation of targets from the one or more cells, the targets suitable to be detected by at least one aptamer sensor, the aptamers capable to leave the carriers when the aptamer sensors comprise aptamers specific to the generated targets;
• exciting the spectroscopic probe;
• and
• detecting a signal from the spectroscopic probe dependent on an amount of aptamer sensors located on the carriers after the stimulating.