Ciela I. Oncina

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About

Ciela I. Oncina is a researcher specializing in point-of-care diagnostics and laboratory automation, with a particular focus on advancing the development and optimization of lateral flow assays (LFAs). Her work addresses a critical challenge in diagnostic technology: while LFAs are among the most widely used and accessible diagnostic tools globally — with applications spanning pregnancy testing, infectious disease detection, and environmental toxin monitoring — their development process has historically been labor-intensive and time-consuming. Oncina's most significant contribution lies in engineering automated solutions to streamline LFA development. Her 2022 paper on an automated liquid handling robot for rapid LFA development has garnered 22 citations, demonstrating meaningful uptake within the diagnostics research community. Her earlier 2019 work, which introduced an integrated robotic system combining design-of-experiment software with robotic liquid handling hardware, laid important groundwork for this automation-driven approach, earning 8 citations. Collectively, her research has helped make LFA development more efficient and reproducible, a contribution with real-world implications for expanding access to reliable diagnostics in resource-limited settings. Her interdisciplinary approach — bridging robotics, software, and biomedical diagnostics — positions her as a meaningful contributor to the future of accessible, scalable point-of-care testing.