Microfluidics

Research that includes: 

  • Microvalves and fluidic flow control
  • Micropumps
  • Modeling of microfluidics
  • Particulate air monitoring
  • Flow Sensors
  • Capillary Pump Loop
  • Optoelectronic Transport & Tweezers

BPN611: Integrated Amplification and Readout for Multiplexed Biomarker Detection in a Rapid, Simple and Inexpensive Microfluidic System

Richard H. Henrikson
Frank B. Myers
Liyi Xu
Ivan K. Dimov
2013

Current methods for biomolecular quantification are prohibitively slow and expensive for many interesting field applications. We are developing an integrated microfluidic system for simple and robust biomolecular amplification coupled with an inexpensive reader for a range of point-of-need diagnostic solutions.

Project end date: 09/09/13

BPN728: Paper-Based Integrated Diagnostic Chip for Nucleic Acid Detection of HIV from Blood

Fei Liu
Sang Hun Lee
Jun Ho Son
Erh-Chia (Charlie) Yeh
2013

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...

BPN719: Single Cell Micro-Chambers for Circulating Tumor Cell Detection

Gordon D. Hoople
2013

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...

BPN645: Highly-Parallel Magnetically-Actuated Microvalves

Pauline J. Chang
2013

This project aims to develop highly-parallel, magnetically-actuated microvalves using CMOS- compatible technology. Current state-of-the-art microvalve technologies require extensive supporting experimental apparatus and do not yield true lab-on-a-chip functionality. Here, the focus is placed on true chip-scale valve arrays based on low-power, on-chip magnetic coils which are used to actuate 100 micron diameter magnetic spheres that serve as the valve sealing surface. Prior studies of magnetic bead manipulation by planar coils, spin-valve arrays, and rotating magnetic fields have...

BPN725: One-Step Electrokinetic Nucleic Acid Preconcentrator for PCR-Based Point-of-Care Diagnosis

Chi-Cheng Fu
Qiong Pan
Brian N. Kim
2013

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...

BPN695: Hydrodynamics of Marine Larval Locomotion

Rachel Pepper
2014

We want to understand how microscopic swimmers navigate in complicated flow fields where the ambient fluid flow speed is much greater than their swimming speed. Up to now, the motility of these organisms, ranging from bacteria to small planktonic animals, has been studied in still water. While this is an important first step, it is essential to connect the motion in still fluid to the locomotion of organisms in their more complicated natural environments. In flowing water, these organisms are carried by the flow around them and can make only minor adjustments to their trajectory by...

BPN702: A Continuous-Flow Microdroplets Lysis System

Kosuke Iwai
Ryan D. Sochol
2014

This Project aims for developing a versatile continuous-flow system for lysing microdroplet. Microdroplets have been widely utilized in diverse chemical and biological research and applications such as DNA sequencing or nanoparticle synthesis. Although highly robust and easy handling techniques of droplets are essential for those purposes, difficulties still remain in retrieving inner contents (e.g. cells, microbeads, biomolecules, reagents) of droplets for further experiments. Here we present a novel microfluidic system to achieve three distinctive accomplishments: (i) guiding...

BPN586: Integrated Finger-Powered Microfluidic Pumps for Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Kosuke Iwai
Ryan D. Sochol
2014

This project aims for developing a new 'human-powered' microfluidic system for point-of-care diagnostics applications. Chip- based microfluidics offers a promising platform for biological studies; however, bulky and expensive equipments such as syringe pumps limit the application. To minimize the total setup, we propose an alternative 'human-powered' fluid pumping device. Pressure generated by human finger works as a major power source to pump fluids into microfluidic devices without any electricity. As we use common softlithography fabrication process, our system can be easily...

BPN621: Microfluidic Separation of Blood

Kathryn Fink
Karthik Prasad
2015

The goal of this research is to characterize and optimize a continuous-flow, blood fractionation platform using particle image velocimetry to analyze the critical operating parameters. The microfluidic system will separate from a blood sample a platelet-enriched plasma containing pathogens and pathogenic biomarkers. It will also provide a stream of concentrated blood cells including pathogenic plasmodial cells.

Project end date: 02/02/15

BPN723: Organ-on-a-Chip for Personalized Medicine Development

SoonGweon Hong
Sang Hun Lee
2014

A new era of drug discovery and development is being marched with the concept of “personalized medicine”. “Organ-on-a-chips or OCs” are one of the movements, which are to recapitulate 3-dimensional organ models in microfluidic culture platforms. By combining iPSC-derived human organ cells, individuals’ physiological response can be investigated so that the needs of animal model, inadequately representing human physiology, will be vanished in drug development in a near future. Herein,we are challenging the development of liver-, heart-, and brain-on-a-chip for the organs most...