Breast cancer is identified as the highest cause of death in women suffering from cancer. Early diagnosis is the key to increase the survival of breast cancer victims. Molecular diagnosis using biomarkers have advanced much in the recent years. The cost involved in such diagnosis is not affordable for most of the population. The concept being investigated here is to realize a simple diagnosis system for screening cancer by way of a blood test utilizing a miRNA based biomarker with a complementary molecular beacon probe. A microfluidic platform was designed and attached with a fluorescence reader, which is portable and cost effective. Experiments were performed with 51 blood samples of which 30 were healthy and 21 were positive for breast cancer, collected against institutional human ethical clearance, IHEC 16/180-7-9-2016. miRNA 21 was chosen as the biomarker because it is overexpressed 4-fold in the serum of breast cancer patients. This work involved design of an experiment to prove the concept of miRNA over expression followed by detection of miRNA 21 using the microfluidic platform attached with a fluorescence reader and validation of the results using quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The results obtained from the microfluidic device concurred with qRT-PCR results. The device is suitable for point-of-care application in a mass-screening programme. The study also has revealed that the stage of the cancer could be indicated by this test, which will be further useful for deciding a therapeutic regime.

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Context: Circulating microRNA (miRNA) is of great importance to thebiomarker basednon-invasive cancer diagnosis. Objective: To identify circulating biomarkers for cancer screening and its usability with a micro fluidic device for developing an easy to use, cost effective screening tool by way of a blood test. Method: Reviewed published literature for expression of onco-miRNAs and miR-21(microRNA-21) in cancer patients' serum and their detection methods. Results: miR-21 was chosen as circulating biomarker for breast cancer screening andtesteda microfluidic device for breast cancer with 21 breast cancer and 30 healthy volunteers' blood samples, results concurred with qPCR, the gold standard for quantification. Conclusion: In comparison to mammogram, which is the gold standard for breast cancer screening, microfluidic platform-based blood test for screening can reach a large population at affordable cost.

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