Microfluidics

Predictive and preventive diagnostics promise to dramatically improve targeted patient healthcare while vastly reducing systemic costs. However, patients in remote and resource-poor settings have significantly reduced access to valuable diagnostics. We are integrating nucleic acid based molecular recognition elements into microfluidic devices to achieve quantitative measures of a range of biomarkers without the need for external equipment. We have further designed an opto- biochemical signal amplification component for downstream readout. We aim to reduce assay cost, time- to-answer...

Development of point-of-care (POC) molecular diagnostic devices is critical for the global healthcare and personalized medicine. Current POC molecular diagnostic platforms are based on polymeric or glass substrates. If we use them frequently for molecular diagnostics in both developed and developing countries, the swamping of disposable medical waste is serious problem. In order to solve this problem, we are developing integrative paper-based molecular diagnostic devices (IPMD) with the capability of nucleic acid detection of HIV from blood, which allow safe and proper disposal for...

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a critical role in understanding cancer; however they are not yet well understood. Currently only one device, a benchtop solution manufactured by Verdex, is approved for use by the United States Food and Drug Administration to detect CTCs. This research project focuses on developing a microfluidic lab-on-a-chip solution for detecting and working with circulating tumor cells. Previous research in single microwell encapsulation of erythrocytes will be leveraged to create a device to capture CTCs in individual wells and screen them through mechanical...

One of the key avenues to improving global health is to diagnose and control infectious diseases, such as HIV and malaria. Viral-specific nucleic acid (NA) amplification (such as polymerase chain reaction, PCR) is often used to meet such a requirement; however, complicated blood sample preparation (NA purification) by sophisticated equipments inevitably restricts its applications for portable point-of-care diagnosis, especially in third-world countries. For instance, solid phase NA extraction methods require a multistep protocol (NA binding, washing and elution) with pipetting and...