Luke P. Lee (Advisor)

Microfluidic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been of great interest owing to its ability to perform rapid and specific nucleic acid amplification and analysis on small volumes of samples. One of the major drawbacks of microfluidic PCR is bubble generation and reagent evaporation, which can cause malfunctions. Here, we propose a bubble-free microfluidic PCR device via controlled fluid transfer. We design the PCR chamber surrounding circumferential chamber allows a guided-fluid transport of generated bubble to circumferential chamber through thin nanoporous PDMS sidewall. We...

As we see the mirror image of our hand, many biological molecules such as DNA and proteins have left and right handed forms. We call this nature of handedness as the chirality of molecular structures. It is important to notice that we have right-handed sugars and left-handed amino acids, and there is a need for an effective method to screen pharmacologically active drugs as well as understanding the mechanisms of chiral interactions in living organisms. Here we describe a high-throughput integrated chiral analysis platform with microfluidics (hiCAP) for precise analysis of chirality...

Amyloid beta (Aβ) is one of most crucial neuropathological biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Up to date, the relation between the progress of the disorder and the interchange of Aβ level in the blood is still controversial; however, increasing evidence for transport of Aβ across the brain blood barrier (BBB) provides the linkage between concentrations of Aβ in central nervous system (CNS) and blood plasma. Hence, quantifying the Aβ level in blood plasma is considered as an emerging diagnostic method for AD. Here, we describe an integrated molecular diagnostic system (iMDx) for...

The fast and precise detection and identification of pathogens has become significantly important in medicine, food safety, public health, and security. However, the conventional testing (bacteria cultures with several antibiotics for susceptibility test) needs one to four days to acquire the result. Here, we develop an integrated molecular diagnostic system that combines sample preparation, pathogen lysis, and genetic detection to identify pathogens within one hour. Bacteria in relatively large-volume sample (3-5 mL) continuously passing through a fluidic channel are captured and...