ABSTRACT
What microelectronics has done for information technology is being repeated in the life sciences. The process of miniaturization and the application of microsystem technologies (MST or, in the American community MEMS, for Micro-Electromechanical Systems, or Micromachine in Japan) has had a significant impact in the life sciences. Research on the human genome, the drug discovery process in the pharmaceutical industry clinical diagnostics, and analytical chemistry are experiencing rapid change due to new tools produced through miniaturization (Manz and Becker, 1998).
