Abstract

Microfluidics and Lab on Chip: State of the Art and Future Opportunities

Rashid Bashir, Professor And Head, University Of Illinois Urbana

Biomedical applications of micro and nanotechnology hold tremendous promise in diagnostic and point of care sensors. These Lab-on-chip devices can be used for the rapid and sensitive detection of biological entities including cells, bacteria, proteins and DNA. For example, these devices can provide for the sensitive and selective detection of CD4+ T cells for detection of HIV/AIDs for global health at point of care. Significant opportunities exist for rapid point-of-care detection of nucleic acid molecules from bacterial or viral agents of infection for food borne pathogens or for other agents causing human disease. To date, many of such devices or systems are constructed with silicon, PDMS, or other polymers. However, the fabrication of milli and micro scale systems and machines, with living cells as the building blocks, can represent a new frontier for BioMEMS. This talk will present an overview of our efforts in these exciting areas at the intersection of biology and engineering at the micro and nanoscale.