Microfluidics

Research that includes: 

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

BPN322: Microfluidic Multiplexed Cytokine Secretion Assay

David N. Breslauer
J. Tanner Nevill
2006

Diffusible molecules are a significant component of intercellular communication. Understanding the dynamics of the many cellular secretions in regulating multi-cellular systems is important in tissue engineering, drug discovery, and many other biomedical fields. We are developing a multiplexed microfluidic device that traps different secretions from a cell culture for use with fluorescent assays.

Project end date: 08/01/06

RTH/JDK3: Diatom-Inspired Microfluidic Generation of Tunable Emulsions for Macroporous Silica

Frank J. Zendejas
2006

Diatoms are unicellular algae that exhibit exquisite silica cell walls, frustules, made of amorphous silica. Research has shown that diatoms are capable of controlled precipitation of silica during cell division within a specialized membrane called the silica deposition vesicle (SDV). The precipitated silica forms the new shell for the daughter cell. It has been postulated that the diatom SDV contains an emulsion of organic macromolecules arranged in a regular pattern which serve as a template onto which silica is precipitated. Our goal of this project is to use a specially designed...

BPN342: Cell trapping array for cell-cell communication research

Liz Yir-shyuan Wu
2006

Intercellular communication between contact neighboring cells can cause change in morphology, gene expression and cell growth. Incomplete cell-cell communication is correlated with most forms of cancer. Many research efforts have been made to disclosure the molecular process through cell contact for regulating oncogenesis, but the answer is still poorly known. The technologies which can manipulate the time and location of the cell-contact are the exigencies in the field. Here we design a microfluidic device to trap specific number of cells in the array. For example, in two-cell trap...

BPN325: Microfluidic Device for Measuring Endothelial Permeability

Peter White
2007

Both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that the permeability of the endothelial cell layer that lines vascular walls is influenced by hemodynamic forces. Specific wall shear stress patterns are believed to induce phenotypic changes in cells that alter the uptake of molecules such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and lead to the development of atherosclerotic lesions. The purpose of this research is to develop a microfluidic device in which the flux of specific macromolecules across an endothelial layer can be measured in different locations of a channel. By appropriately...

RMW28: Portable Monitor for Airborne Particles

Justin Black
2007

This project involves development of a portable MEMS based instrument for particulate matter (PM) exposure assessment. The instrument, dubbed the MEMS PM monitor, measures and differentiates fine particulate matter concentrations of such substances as diesel engine exhaust, environmental tobacco smoke, wood smoke, and cooking vapors.

Project end date: 01/29/07

BPN381: SERS Signal Amplification by Optofluidic Photothermal Sample Preconcentration

Hansang Cho
2007

Integrated microfluidic devices. Preconcentration not only improves detection sensitivity of SERS signals but also improves the reliability of the analysis by significantly increasing signal-to-noise ratio. Another reason necessitating preconcentration is the discrepancy between volumes of sample available and those consumed for analysis. The general goal is to preconcentrate a molecule based on thermophoresis in a microfluidic platform to amplify the SERS signals. Our first specific goal is to preconcentrate target molecules using and the second goal is to amplify the SERS signal of...

DL5: DNA Transport in Microfluidic Systems

Shelly Gulati
2007

Fully integrated lab-on-a-chip systems for applications such as DNA sequencing and pathogen detection will incorporate significant microfluidic components. These systems will necessarily require the flow of large molecules such as DNA, which give the bulk fluid viscoelastic behavior. Additionally, the characteristic lengths of these molecules will approach those of the fluid channel, presenting a unique flow situation that is not well understood. The effects of microscale flow in canonical microfluidic structures on the conformation of DNA, and the reciprocal effects of DNA...

BPN360: Biomimetic Microfluidic Assembly of Spheroids and Dynamic Perfusion for Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery

Liz Wu
2007

Multicellular tumor spheroids may provide a better model than monolayer culture of in vivo tumors for drug assays. We present a novel microfluidic method for self-assembly of tumor spheroids for these studies. Our device traps cancer cells hydrodynamically and spheroid formation is enhanced by maintaining compact groups of the trapped cells due to continuous perfusion. It was found that spheroid formation speed and size uniformity increased with increased flow rate. A large amount of tumor spheroids (7,500 spheroids per square centimeter) with a narrow size distribution (10 ± 1...

BPN412: Signal Amplifications of SERS by Microfluidic CD-based Preconcentration Methods

Dukhyun Choi
2007

Signal amplifications of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) by microfluidic compact disk (CD)-based preconcentration method is accomplished for effective label-free bioassays and chemical detections. This is the first demonstration of the SERS-CD platform having capabilities of high-throughput microfluidic multifunctional on-chip biomedical devices. In order to achieve the preconcentration through the accumulation of biomolecules adsorbed on the SERS active site, we inject and dry biomolecular sample solution in the microfluidic channel prior to SERS detection and then repeat...

BPN323: MEMS Biopolymer: Bubble Time-of-Flight Flow Sensor

Julian Lippmann
2007

Liquid flow monitoring at nanoliter/min rates is important for many lab-on-a-chip and stand alone biomedical applications. Several technologies have been investigated to achieve this resolution. The majority require expensive detection systems and fabrication processes. To this end we have developed an injection molded fluidic flow sensor that requires no part-to-part micromachining of silicon, significantly reducing the cost. Further, many of these systems require extensive calibration and rely on phenomena impacted by diffusion (e.g. heat pulses) that quickly lose accuracy as flow...