Protein assays developed in microfluidic channels have many advantages due to its small sample volume, short reaction time, high throughput, and potential for integrating the protein assays into a lab-on-chip device. In this presentation, we report a label-free detection method for protein assays developed in microfluidic channels by using liquid crystal (LC), which can transduce the presence of proteins or antigen-antibody binding events into optical signals clearly visible to the naked eye. Because LC is far more sensitive than fluorescence in distinguishing a very small difference in protein concentration, this new detection method allows the quantification of protein concentration through the length of the bright region in a microfluidic channel, which is similar to a power testing strip on a Energizer® battery. Important issues such as sensitivity and specificity associated with the LC-based protein assay will also be discussed in this presentation.