Lab-on-a-Chip World Congress Agenda

Registration

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Advancements in Automated Sample Preparation, STR-PCR, and CE Detection for Rapid Nucleic Acid Analysis on an Integrated Microfluidic Platform
Frederic Zenhausern, Director and Professor, Center for Applied Nanobioscience and Medicine, United States of America

The authors demonstrate automated workflow processing of solid-phase biological samples on a real world size scale; quickly extracting genetic biomaterials, performing 17-plex STR-PCR amplification, and delivering the amplicons to downstream multiplexed CE detection.

Smart Polymer-based Microfluidics
Eui-Hyeok Yang, Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology, United States of America

We are investigating tunable wetting of a smart polymer - dodecylbenzenesulfonate-doped polypyrrole (PPy(DBS)). Here, we are probing fundamental mechanisms related to the electrochemical transport and reversible wetting states of PPy(DBS) upon continuous reduction and oxidation reactions. Successful research on this tunable wetting concept will impact a wide range of microfluidics applications, attributed to the low-voltage operation.

Technology Spotlight:
More Accuracy & Precision, Through Tighter Tolerances & Smoother Microfluidic Channels - A Case Study
Harald Denz, MD & CEO, , Austria
Nick Lewis, Sales & Marketing North America, z-microsystems®, United States of America

z-microsystems is a 60 years tooling and injection molding company. Since 13 years we are a reliable partner for our customers in the medical market. In this technology spotlight we give you insights into thin channels, chambers and variation of different thicknesses are possible to manufacture in several forms of e.g. chips, cartridges, micro arrays with optical combination and so on. The one of the main Advantages is the roughness smooth and precise Nano- or Microstructures with small tolerances to build up in the insert and in the injection molded parts too. We are ISO 9001:2008 ISO 13485:2003 + AC:2007 certified. Processes: Fluidic development, Prototyping, Pre Series, Series, Bonding, Coating.

Lunch and Networking in Exhibition Hall

Poster Viewing Session

Mapping Chemical Gradients in Living Tissue in Space and Time Using Microfluidics
Charles Henry, Professor and Chair, Colorado State University, United States of America

Chemical gradients drive biological functions ranging from nerve signaling to ovulation. Yet our knowledge of the complex gradients that lead to cell-to-cell communication across intact organs is limited by the lack of tools outside of microscopy available of measuring these gradients. This presentation will focus on microfluidic-based methods for measuring spatiotemporal chemical gradients in living tissues.

Shrink Manufacturing Advanced Research Tools (SMART)
Michelle Khine, Associate Professor, University Of California Irvine, United States of America

Leveraging the inherent heat-induced relaxation of pre-stressed thermoplastic sheets - commodity shrink-wrap film - we pattern in a variety of ways at the large scale and achieve our desired structures by controlled shrinking down to 5% of the original, patterned sizes. This enables us to 'beat' the limit of resolution inherent to traditional 'top-down' manufacturing approaches. With these tunable shape memory polymers, we can robustly integrate extremely high surface area and high aspect ratio nanostructures directly into our microsystems.

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Enhancing the Performance of Distributed Feedback Dye Lasers and Plasmonic V-grooves for Lab-on-a-chip Systems
Cameron Smith, Researcher, Technical University of Denmark, United Kingdom

Polymer-based distributed feedback dye lasers are inexpensive devices that may be tailored to exhibit highly sensitive transduction. Plasmonic V-grooves offer unique opportunities for unobtrusive particle and single molecule manipulation. We consider both of these approaches with respect to lab-on-a-chip systems.

Reception and Roundtable Discussions in Exhibition Hall

End of Day One

Microconfined Flow-based Imaging Methods to Study Red Blood Cell Deformability and Clustering in Vitro
Giovanna Tomaiuolo, Researcher, The University of Naples Federico II, Italy

An in vitro systematic fluid dynamic investigation of RBC suspensions flowing in a microcirculation-mimicking silicon device containing a network of microchannels of diameter comparable to cell size to investigate RBC membrane viscoelastic properties.

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

All-in-one Droplet Microfluidic Chips for Biomolecular Assays
Tza-Huei Wang, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University, United States of America

This talk introduces a magnetic droplet microfluidic platform that uses droplets for processing of biological samples and magnetizable particles for both droplet actuation and molecule binding. The platform is demonstrated by several bioassays including genotyping and point-of-care applications.

Investigation of Cell-cell Interactions via Compartmentalized Co-culture Platforms
Elliot Hui, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of California-Irvine, United States of America

Intercellular communication is strongly dependent on the spatial organization of tissues at the micrometer scale. We present microfabricated cell culture substrates that enable fine-grained control of cell positioning, allowing the investigation of contact-dependent signaling dynamics, short-range paracrine effects, and feedback signaling.

Technology Spotlight:
New Generation Polymeric Materials Leveraging Nanostructuring and Coating Technologies
Ali Tinazli, Director & Head of Business Development & Sales, Sony DADC

Smart Consumables with microscale or supreme optical features are prerequisites for emerging applications in the biomedical markets. The increasing complexity of such new products requires new manufacturing technologies. Sony DADC BioSciences offers development, manufacture and supply of polymer-based smart consumables to OEM partners. Specializing in customized mass manufacturing of highly sophisticated consumables, Sony DADC actively applies expertise in innovation to offer state-of-the-art solutions to the biomedical market. Smart polymer-based consumables have been created to solve a variety of experimental assay problems. Applications in high-throughput screening in genomics, in-vitro diagnostics, and single cell assays will be presented.

Lunch and Networking in Exhibition Hall

Poster Viewing Session

Continuous Flow Processing for Bioanalysis in Microfluidic Devices
Mark Tarn, Researcher, University of Hull, United Kingdom

We present microfluidic platforms that operate in continuous flow for applications in particle and cell sorting as well as bioassays and material fabrication.

The Microfluidic Toolbox – Modular Approaches for Integrated Microfluidics
Holger Becker, Chief Scientific Officer, Microfluidic ChipShop GmbH, Germany

Microfluidics has made the critical step towards a true enabling technology for product developments in Medicine and the Life Sciences. A modular toolbox approach allows a rapid and risk-minimized approach towards the development of complex microfluidic devices needed for applications e.g. in molecular diagnostics, food or pathogen analysis.

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Next Generation Sequencing Chips: Market & Technology Trends
Benjamin Roussel, Business Unit Manager of the Microfluidic & Medical Technologies (MedTech), Yole Développement, France

After providing an overview of Next Generation Sequencing technologies and their market, this presentation will highlight the new opportunities arising for cartridge makers.

Design Guidelines for the Commercially Successful Production of Lab-on-a-chip Consumables
Michael Bassler, Principal Investigator, Institut fuer Mikrotechnik Mainz GmbH, Germany

The commercial success of Lab-on-a-chip (LoC) based diagnostic systems for point of care testing is determined by the manufacturing costs of consumables and instrument and the resulting price per LoC test. Clinical users always have to justify their spendings on diagnostic assays to the controlling department of their institutions. For this reason the price per LoC test always competes with the price offered by the central laboratory. In order to develop commercially successful assays, strategies for economical production of the consumables have to be implemented in the early stages of industrial LoC-projects.

Close of Conference