Badge and Conference Materials Pick-Up

Plasmonic-Enhanced Single-Molecule Detection
Steve Blair, Professor, University of Utah, United States of America

The next generation of molecular diagnostics tools are targeted to have single molecule sensitivity. Plasmonic-enhanced fluorescence can be a key enabling factor in achieving this goal. Large-scale arrays of plasmonic structures meet the requirements of enhanced signal-to-background in fluorescence detection, along with compatibility with existing instrumentation and surface chemistry. Fluorescence enhancement results from a combination of plasmonic mediated excitation and emission enhancement. Even though molecules are confined within a plasmonic structure, the spectral region of enhancement depends strongly on the metal. As such, have also been working with structures in Al, which is mass-production friendly and provides balanced enhancement throughout the visible spectrum, opening up a wider range of applications. However, new chemical passivation strategies need to be devised due to the native oxide of Al. Tuning of the relative enhancements can be accomplished by adjusting the shape of the plasmonic structures, opening up the UV spectral range where the native fluorescence of biomolecules can be accessed.

Technology Spotlight:
Passive and Active Flow Control Elements for Microfluidics-based Point-of-Care Devices
Marko Blom, Chief Technical Officer, Micronit Microtechnologies

Active mechanical flow control elements and purely passive, capillary-based flow control elements will be presented, enabling various functions such as volume metering, mixing and sequential flow. Also sequential capillary flow controlled by low-power electrical triggers will be shown. Combining these elements, microfluidic and in particular Point-of-Care devices can be constructed which operate fully autonomously or which can be controlled by electrical triggers alone.

Lab-on-a-Chip Microfabrication using LED UV-Lithography, Laser-Cutting, and 3D-Printing
Alex Groisman, Associate Professor, University Of California San Diego, United States of America

UV photolithography is one of the most widely used microfabrication techniques for LOAC applications. Conventional UV light sources based on high-pressure mercury lamps are relatively expensive and provide broad-band illumination with intensity that often changes with time. We designed and built a monochromatic UV flood source based on a small array of high-power 365 nm UV LEDs. The light source provides uniform and collimated UV-illumination over a large target area and is very well suited for the fabrication of thick (>50 µm) relief patterns with SU8 photoresists for rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices. In addition, the LED light source is very stable, inexpensive to build, and near maintenance-free. I will also present several examples of how laser cutting and 3D printing can be used for the fabrication of LOAC microdevices with features in an intermediate range of scales (0.1 – 10 mm) and how these two fabrication techniques can be combined with UV photolithography.

Low Cost Microfluidic Platform Progress
Alexander Govyadinov, Senior Technologist, HP Incorporated, United States of America

The presentation describes our recent progress of low cost microfluidic platform development utilizing materials and processes developed for low cost thermal inkjet business. The concept repurposes the jetting elements for pumping, mixing, valving, fluid transport, sensing and other functions enabling potential for broad range of microfluidic applications.

Designing Modular 3D Microfluidic Circuits
Noah Malmstadt, Professor, Mork Family Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Southern California, United States of America

3D printing technology offers a great opportunity for microfluidic device design and fabrication. Not only does it eliminate complex and time-consuming clean room processes from the device fabrication workflow, it also liberates device design from a planar or layered geometry. The ability to construct true three-dimensional channel configurations simplifies fluidic routing, facilitates parallelization, and opens up a breadth of opportunities for new fluidic operations. Here, we discuss a modular approach to 3D-printed microfluidics in which functional components are printed separately and then assembled by hand into fluidic circuits. This design methodology allows for the robust application of circuit analysis tools and statistical measures of fabrication consistency to predict the performance of microfluidic devices. It also allows for the construction of functional device elements via the simple incorporation of off-the-shelf microelectronics into modularly printed components.

Engineering Free Standing 2D and 3D Biostructures by Induction of Self-Assembly Organization of Cells in a Suspension
Kennedy Okeyo, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Japan

Biomaterials such as cell sheets continue to attract attention due to their potential application in regenerative medicine and drug screening. The ability to fabricate free standing biomaterials with a desirable functionality or cell orientation will facilitate their application.  In this talk, we introduce a newly developed method for engineering monolayer cell sheets with controlled cell orientation that employs suspended microstructured mesh sheets with fine strands (< 5 µm in width) and considerably large open meshes (>100 µm in mesh size) as scaffolds to support and direct initial cell attachment and growth. We show that the minimization of cell-substrate interaction achieved by this method can trigger self-assembly driven formation of biostructures in a suspension state, a phenomenon we attribute to the strengthening of cell-cell contact that occurs as a compensation for the limited cell-substrate adhesion imposed. Furthermore, we demonstrate the versatility of the method in inducing differentiation specification of human iPS cells, resulting in morphogenesis of trophoblast-like cysts that are capable of secreting trophoblast specific hormones such as hCG hormone, and express specific markers such as CDX2. Overall, we demonstrate the application of MEMS technology to fabricate functional biostructures.

A Product Development Primer for Scientists: How to Get From the Lab to Manufacturing of Your Microfluidic and/or Point-of-Care Diagnostic Device
Luke Helm, Director of Business Development, Symbient Product Development, United States of America

After completing the laboratory assay and a proof-of-concept prototype, the next step toward bringing your product to market is to design a device that meets all requirements ranging from usability and manufacturability, to cost-per-unit and shelf-life. (A free Product Requirements Document (PRD) template will be provided to all attendees.) This presentation will outline certain best practices in product development including project planning and timelines, defining requirements in engineering terms, fabricating working rapid prototypes, obtaining prototype injection molded parts, low-cost manufacturing processes, design-for-assembly, and selecting a contract manufacturer. In addition, a key, often-overlooked development technique will be covered: Risk Function Development (RFD). The RFD process focuses on the functions of your device that are most likely to require multiple iterations to achieve, and therefore present a relatively greater risk to the project schedule and budget. These and other key steps will be presented that substantially mitigate the risks of schedule delays and cost overruns during product development.

The SONY DADC Annual Symposium at the Lab-on-a-Chip, Microfluidics and Microarrays World Congress Explores the Innovations in Microfluidics Technologies
Ali Tinazli, Vice President – Head of Business Development & Sales, Sony DADC US Inc, United States of America

The SONY DADC Annual Symposium Continues Its Tradition of Highlighting Emerging Themes in the Microfluidics/LOAC Space and these Themes are Explored Throughout this 3-Day Conference:

1. Point-of-Care Diagnostics & Global Health as Impacted by Microfluidics
2. Synthetic Biology as Impacted by Microfluidics
3. Organ-on-a-Chip: How can Microfluidics Create Biostructures with Functionality

This symposium will be chaired by Ali Tinazli, Ph.D., Vice President of SONY DADC US, Inc. and will feature speakers on the cutting-edge of these fields.

The goal of this symposium is to bring forth the innovations in technology, emerging applications as well as foster extensive discussions, networking and engagement between the speakers and delegates.

Harnessing Silicon Manufacturing for the Next Generation of Life Science Consumables
Winny Tan, Business Manager, IMEC USA, United States of America

Over 30 years of silicon process and manufacturing innovation is largely untapped by the life sciences industry today. Sensors, transducers, microfluidics, optics, custom imagers, and electronics; can all be integrated onto a small area of silicon and then manufactured at volume. Imec has this advanced toolbox and expertise in-house to put entire molecular and cellular assays onto a chip. Advantages include simplification for the user and reduced costs for the manufacturer. This presentation will discuss how to access silicon technology through Imec, what is in the toolbox, and why it makes sense for the life science markets.

Programmable Fluidic Systems for Synthetic Biology
Mo Khalil, Innovation Career Development Professor and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, United States of America

Synthetic biology is the forward engineering of biological systems from genetically-encoded components. Synthetic biology represents a bottom-up approach to studying biological systems, and can be used to reprogram living cells to address a range of applications. We have been developing a number of fluidic platforms aimed at advancing our ability to study and probe microbial systems, both synthetic and naturally-occurring. Specifically, I will discuss our efforts to develop programmable microfluidic systems for subjecting microbes to complex and fluctuating environmental conditions, and for studying dynamic cellular response at high-resolution. I will also discuss efforts to develop programmable systems for assembling and studying microbial communities, including over evolutionary time frames. An underlying goal of this work is to bring automation and standardization to many synthetic-biological approaches.

A Paradigm Shift in Ultra-Low Volume Dispensing Enabling the Development of Precision Diagnostics
Barbara McIntosh, Vice President Global Sales, BioDot, United States of America

BioJet Ultra technology is a quantitative, drop on demand, dispensing technology that operates in the picoliter to low nanoliter volumes as a single drop.  The proprietary technology which will be presented allows for multichannel dispensing of fluids with varying properties, enabling a range of applications for the life sciences and/or diagnostics marketplace.

Label-free Multi-parametric Single Cell Screening and Isolation Platform
Karthik Balakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer, Nodexus Inc, United States of America

Nodexus is commercializing a novel microfluidic platform that is low-cost, portable, and requires minimal sample preparation to provide fast, accurate, multi-parametric results. Using microfluidic cartridge-based modules, we can purify populations from complex samples (e.g. blood) to count, size, characterize, and isolate cells of interest. Because our technology is label-free, there is minimal sample preparation that is needed for testing. Our platform is capable of processing very low sample volumes, such as ~10 µL (particularly crucial in applications where low cell numbers preclude the use of existing technologies) and large volumes (multiple mLs) necessary for rare cell isolation.

Test for Success: A Diagnostic Approach to Diagnostic Device Development
John Zeis, CEO, Toolbox Medical Innovations, United States of America

There are many factors that can lead to the success of a diagnostic device in the market. With the demanding requirements of patients, payers, clinicians and regulatory bodies, success is not easily achieved.  With a comprehensive test plan, all of these success factors can be evaluated through the entire process, from user needs through manufacturing scale up. We will describe the various types of tests to be considered during development, from usability to functional to clinical evaluation.  We will also describe some of the success factors as well as pitfalls, with case study examples. Testing won’t make a product successful, but if done properly, it will identify gaps early in the process, before it is too late.

Close of SONY DADC Symposium.

Conference Registration and Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall. Exhibit Hall Opens.

Coffee Break, Networking, Visit the Exhibitors and Poster Viewing

Free-Surface Microfluidics and SERS for High Performance Sample Capture and Analysis
Carl Meinhart, Professor, University of California-Santa Barbara, United States of America

Nearly all microfluidic devices to date consist of some type of fully-enclosed microfluidic channel. The concept of ‘free-surface’ microfluidics has been pioneered at UCSB during the past several years, where at least one surface of the microchannel is exposed to the surrounding air.  Surface tension is a dominating force at the micron scale, which can be used to control effectively fluid motion. There are a number of distinct advantages to the free surface microfluidic architecture.  For example, the free surface provides a highly effective mechanism for capturing certain low-density vapor molecules.  This mechanism is a key component (in combination with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, i.e. SERS) of a novel explosives vapor detection platform, which is capable of sub part-per-billion sensitivity with high specificity.

Low-Cost Biochips with Integrated Membrane Pretreatment and Molecular Sensing Components
Hsueh-Chia Chang, Bayer Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Interim Chief Technology Officer, Aopia Biosciences, United States of America

A new low-cost (<$1) disposable polymer biochip platform, with 3-D architecture to allow easy fluid/electrical/optical connection and with integrated gel and ion-selective membranes, will be reviewed. Electrically induced concentration and charge polarization across the ion-selective membrane is used to effect on-chip pumping, cell lysing,  analyte  filtration, concentration and separation,  redox agent-insensitive electrical sensing , shear-enhanced selectivity,  pH control, nanoparticle aggregation for colorimetric and plasmonic optical sensing etc. The modular designs of the membrane components allow dynamic large-volume manufacturing of different biochip designs.  A large dynamic range(fM to mM), short assay time (30 min) and high selectivity (single-mismatch) is reported for a particular turn-key RNA sensing device for contagious diseases. The cost, speed and automated multi-plex integration design allows detection of a small number of easily degradable nucleic acid targets in a portable device.

Networking Lunch, Visit the Exhibitors and Poster Viewing

Technology Spotlight:
Loading Microfluidics and Other Devices with Biological Content
Claude Dufresne, President, SCIENION US INC

A number of diagnostic, screening or sensor devices require the interaction of clinical or environmental samples with relevant biological agents.  These agents are an integral part of the microfluidic, silicon or paper devices that were designed for the intended test.  We will illustrate how one can apply sub-nanoliter amounts of oligos, proteins, glycans, as well as many chemical reagents, precisely and accurately onto various targets and their internal structures.  Our glass-based piezo-electric non-contact dispensing technology has been optimized for over 12 years, and is at the core of the sciFLEXARRAYER product line.  It allows for the dispensing of droplets as small as 50 pl within 5 um of a desired location.  This is possible using minimal sample aspiration volumes as low as 3 ul.  The technology as implemented is mild enough to dispense live cells.  In addition, we will show how this has been scaled up to manufacturing levels.

Centrifugal Microfluidics for Point-of-Care Diagnostics
Yoon-Kyoung Cho, Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology; Group leader, IBS; FRSC, Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, Korea South

We will discuss our on-going research on “Lab-on-a-disc”, which applies centrifugal force to pump fluid for biological analysis. It is advantageous because of the capability to integrate and automate all the process into a disc-shaped device with simple, size-reduced, and cost-efficient instrumentation. We report various examples of fully integrated "lab-on-a-disc" for the biomedical applications such as rare cell isolation, DNA extraction, enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) starting from whole blood. Integration with microfluidic technology allows more precise control of fluids while also reducing the expensive reagent consumption, the required analysis time and possible handling errors.

Paper/PDMS Hybrid Microfluidic Platforms for Infectious Disease Diagnosis
Xiujun James Li, Assistant Professor, (BME) & MASE, The University of Texas at El Paso, United States of America

Infectious pathogens often cause serious economic loss and public health concerns throughout the world. One important characteristic of infectious diseases is that they often occur in high-poverty regions, where people cannot afford expensive and bulky equipment. Although numerous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and paper-based microfluidic devices have been developed to address this issue, PDMS/paper hybrid systems that take advantage of both substrates are rarely reported. Each device substrate has its own advantages and disadvantages. Herein, we have developed different low-cost PDMS/paper hybrid microfluidic systems that take advantage of both PDMS and paper substrates for rapid and sensitive infectious disease diagnosis, especially in low-resource settings. For instance, the novel use of the paper substrate used in a hybrid microfluidic system facilitated the integration of graphene oxide nanosensors on the chip for one-step food-borne pathogen detection, and avoided complicated surface treatment for nanosensor immobilization in a PDMS or glass-only microfluidic system.

Coffee Break, Networking, Visit the Exhibitors and Poster Viewing

Integrated Microfluidics for Vectorial Coupling of Sequential Chemical Reactions in Nanopores and Nanochannels
Paul Bohn, Arthur J. Schmitt Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, United States of America

A defining characteristic of microfluidic processing is that rectilinear fluid flow converts time and space variables, enabling the adjacent placement of reaction zones in nanopores to achieve vectorial coupling of sequential chemical transformations.  We are investigating how nano-architectures can be incorporated into microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices so that molecular transport can be used to couple analyte/reagent generation with its subsequent downstream use.  In this context electrons constitute a particularly interesting and powerful chemical reagent, and microfluidic architectures present numerous novel schemes to couple electron transfer and electron transport.  For example, bipolar electrodes can be used to connect distinct fluidic channels, allowing disparate redox processes to be coupled.  In these experiments self-induced redox cycling can be used (1) to amplify the sensitivity of amperometric measurements, and (2) to couple the electron transfer event to a luminescence readout using, for example, electrogenerated chemiluminescence.  Thus, the chemical detection event (current) is spatially and temporally separated from the readout event (photons).   Alternatively the downstream electrode can be used for chemical processing, allowing product to be generated only when an enabling “signal” species is present.  All of these processes depend on a detailed quantitative understanding of the coupling of electrochemical transformations to fluid flow.  Semi-quantitative estimates of generation/consumption dynamics obtained from finite element modeling can then be compared to quantitative nanoscale experiments.

Integrated Functional in vitro Systems for Toxicology and Drug Discovery Applications
James Hickman, Professor, Nanoscience Technology, Chemistry, Biomolecular Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Central Florida; Chief Scientist, Hesperos, United States of America

There has been resurgence in interest in phenotypic assays for drug discovery and toxicology. To address this need, we are building functional in vitro systems that dramatically lessen reliance on biomarkers and allows the systems to be used not only for acute analysis, but chronic as well. We are now integrating these single organ mimics into platforms using a pumpless system developed by Dr. Michael Shuler’s lab where all organs are interconnected and contained in a defined serum-free medium. Results will be presented to describe different combinations of cardiac, neuronal, liver, and muscle chips, as well as various barrier tissues, into different platforms utilizing this system. Validation of different platforms against known drugs will also be presented as well as system characterization results.

Technology Spotlight:
Smart Consumables and Hybrid Devices – Aspects of Technology and Commercialization
Ali Tinazli, Vice President – Head of Business Development & Sales, Sony DADC US Inc

Smart Consumables based on polymer materials with microscale or supreme optical features are prerequisites for emerging applications in the biomedical markets as in in-vitro diagnostics. 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 industry.

Electrochemical Paper-Based Analytical Devices for Clinical and Environmental Diagnostics
Charles Henry, Professor and Chair, Colorado State University, United States of America

One major push in the field of sensor development is production of very cheap and easy to use sensors that require minimal external equipment. Microfluidic Paper-based Analytical Devices (mPADs) have received significant attention in this field because they are cheap (costing pennies per device), easy to use, and can carry out a wide range of chemical assays. Detection with these devices is normally done with colorimetric method but these methods can be limited in sensitivity and selectivity. This talk will focus on recent developments from the Henry laboratory using electrochemical paper-based analytical devices (ePADs) with applications in both environmental and clinical diagnostics. Specifically, analysis of heavy metals using nanoparticle-modified electrodes to assess occupational exposure will be discussed. Similarly development of continuous flow ePADs using immunoassay methods for clinical biomarkers will be presented.

Life in the Shock Wave: Controlling DNA Reactions with Electric Fields
Juan Santiago, Charles Lee Powell Foundation Professor, Stanford University, United States of America

We use isotachophoresis (ITP) to create electric-field-driven shock waves of ion concentration inside microchannels.  These waves are formed at the interface between a high mobility leading electrolyte (LE) and a low mobility trailing electrolyte (TE).  Ionic species with mobilities bracketed by these electrolyte species focus at the LE-to-TE interface.  For trace sample concentrations, multiple species mix and co-focus inside a single, order 10 µm wide wave front.  Multiple reactants can be mixed and then pre-concentrated by more than 50,000x in a few minutes to accelerate chemical reactions. We apply this technique to extract and purify DNA or RNA targets from complex biological samples and to immediately co-focus  these with synthetic DNA probes that we design.  We pre-concentrate reactants by more than ~50,000x in a few minutes, and can complete in 30 sec chemical reactions which would normally take 4 days. Quantitation of the reaction product provides a sequence-specific detection scheme, and so the technique has applications to medical diagnostics and basic biological studies.

Cocktail Reception in the Exhibit Hall: Visit the Exhibitors, View Posters and Network with Your Colleagues. Beers, Wines, and Appetizers Served

Close of Day 2 of the Conference

Morning Coffee, Breakfast Pastries, and Networking in the Exhibit Hall

Technology Spotlight:
Breakfast Briefing: Novel Microfluidic Normally Closed Valve, Normally Open Valve, Pumps and Reservoirs Using New Over molded Elastomers
Dylann Ceriani, Principal Product Development Engineer, Symbient Product Development Inc

Over molding of plastics with elastomers is common, but due to limitations of TPE materials, their use in microfluidic applications have been limited.  Recent developments in TPE materials have given certain TPE materials properties similar to silicone.  Silicone has  attractive properties for microfluidic applications, but as an over molding material, its drawbacks have limited its use. Design solutions for over molded valves, pumps and reservoirs using TPE materials that solve problems associated with elastomeric valves and pumps made with other methods and elastomeric materials are described. Solutions are presented to issues including leaking, sealing and assembly.  A basic design for a normally closed valve and expandable reservoir that is made possible by overmolding with the new elastomers and would not be possible to manufacture with any other method is illustrated in detail.  Previously, normally closed valves have been difficult to develop and/or costly to implement, but by using this over molded design they add only nominal, if any, cost to the part.  Exchanging fluids between fixed volume reservoirs without creating a void or adding pressure and /or bubbles to the system has always been a problem. Expandable reservoirs eliminate these challenges because they do not add any dead air in the system, reducing the risk of bubbles, additionally they can be used to dissipate, equalize and capture pressure generated by a user or a pump.

Microfluidic Microphysiological Microenvironments
Abraham Lee, Chancellor’s Professor, Biomedical Engineering & Director, Center for Advanced Design & Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidics, University of California-Irvine, United States of America

This presentation would introduce our lab’s effort in developing microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices to establish and control microenvironments conducive to microphysiological 3D tissues for biomedical applications including drug screening and developing therapeutics.

Artery-on-a-Chip Analysis of Cardiovascular Disease
Scott Simon, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of California-Davis, United States of America

Monocyte activation and adhesion to inflamed endothelium is an obligate step in the initiation of atherosclerosis. Despite the accepted paradigm of atherosclerosis as an inflammatory disease, population-wide studies that correlate established biomarkers in blood (e.g., chemokines, myeloperoxidase, c-reactive protein) with the progression of coronary artery disease are lacking. In particular, there are no personalized quantitative measures of activation at the level of the participating immune and vascular cells that provide predictive power for the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction. We will introduce an artery-on-a-chip device that provides a measure of monocyte and endothelial inflammatory activation. These cell based parameters correlate better than established biomarkers with the risk of cardiovascular events in patients.

Coffee Break, Networking, Visit the Exhibitors and Poster Viewing

Nanoliter-Scale Protein Quantification in Biological Matrices using DNA Annealing and Melting
Christopher Easley, C. Harry Knowles Professor, Auburn University, United States of America

Recent breakthroughs in cellular co-culture and organ-on-a-chip platforms have revealed that the scale and operation in microfluidic systems is well-matched with that of organized biological tissues.  As shown by our group and others, microfluidic devices permit unique and valuable approaches for hormone secretion sampling, particularly from small amounts of endocrine tissue.  These microanalytical systems possess great value in improving our understanding of biology.  Unfortunately, the development of compatible, simple-readout protein assays has lagged behind these fluidic advancements.  To address this need, we have developed several versions of DNA-driven proximity immunoassays that are well-matched with microfluidic sampling volumes, i.e. the picoliter to nanoliter scale.

Engineering Perfusable Vessel Network in Microfluidic Device for Organ-on-a-Chip Application
Noo Li Jeon, Professor, Seoul National University, Korea South

This presentation will describe a reproducible, in vitro approach to form perfusable 3D microvascular networks on a microfluidic chip.  The vessels can be formed by angiogenesis or vasculogenesis.  These engineered blood and lymphatic vessels exhibit morphological and biochemical markers of tight junctions, apical-basal polarity, basement membrane deposition, and up-regulated markers in response to inflammatory cues.  A novel microfluidic device was designed and tested for real-time imaging of various steps of cancer metastasis and immune cell transmigration.   Perfusable microvascular networks formed within the microfluidic device reproduce the 3D cellular niche, facilitating high-resolution live imaging of cancer cell extravasation and immune cell intra/extravasation.  This approach provides a platform for developing physiologically complex but experimentally straightforward human disease models and holds potential for medical and pharmaceutical applications in drug screening and basic cancer biology and immunology.

3D Printed Lab-on-Chip Device for Biomarker Discovery and Personalized Medicine
Mei He, Assistant Professor, University of Kansas and Chief Science Officer, Clara Biotech, United States of America

Developing low-cost biomedical devices for biomarker discovery and personalized medicine is growing incredibly in recent years. The classical microfabrication of low-cost Lab-on-Chip biomedical devices usually requires specialized skills or certain laboratory infrastructure. In contrast, 3D printing technology will be introduced in this presentation for direct concept-to-chip fabrication of LOC devices without the need of laboratory setting. The applications to biomarker discovery and personalized medicine will be discussed. The centralized one-touch fabrication process and monolithic stand-alone LOC device will yield a key transformative technology for disease diagnosis and management in resource-limited area.

Technology Spotlight:
Emulating Pipettes: Using Novel Blister Concepts for Fluid-on-Board Devices
David Wright, CEO, Wi, Inc.

Diagnostic technology often relies on time intensive laboratory techniques such as pipetting. In an attempt to bring bench top assays to diagnostic cards, blisters with frangible seals have been used but have yielded questionable results.  New developments in blister technology make it possible to more closely imitate the pipetting process and as a result conduct successful rapid diagnostic testing.  In this lecture we will discuss the crucial factors for creating successful fluid on board devices using novel concepts in blister technology: determining placement of the blister, the introduction of air, and volume control.  We will also discuss the importance of creating effective packaging that protects blisters.

Networking Lunch, Visit the Exhibitors, and Poster Viewing

Technology Spotlight:
Universal Microfluidic-Enabled POC platform – Technical Solutions for Complex Integrated Cartridges
Holger Becker, Chief Scientific Officer, Microfluidic ChipShop GmbH

An attractive approach for cartridge-based solutions for point-of-care diagnostics is a system which is capable of performing a broad range of diagnostic assays such as molecular diagnostic, immunodiagnostic and clinical assays with a single system, comprising one instrument and a family of microfluidics-enabled cartridges for the different disease cases. In this paper, we will present such a system and  introduce the principles of the microfluidic cartridge architecture as well as different technical solutions ranging from sample prep of complex samples like sputum, nucleic acid extraction to cartridge-based amplification methods and technologies for on-cartridge valveing and reagent storage. Examples for different types of assays will be given.

Modeling and Simulation of Microfluidic Devices
Matthew Hancock, Managing Engineer, Veryst Engineering, LLC, United States of America

Modeling and simulation are key components of the engineering development process, providing a rational, systematic method to engineer and optimize products and dramatically accelerate the development cycle over a pure intuition-driven, empirical testing approach. Modeling and simulation help to identify key parameters related to product performance (“what to try”) as well as insignificant parameters or conditions related to poor outcomes (“what not to try”). For microfluidic devices, modeling and simulation can inform the design and integration of common components such as micropumps, manifolds, and channel networks. Modeling and simulation may also be used to understand and optimize on-chip processes such as mixing, dispensing, heat transfer, species transport and diffusion, reactions, surface tension & wetting, and flow interaction with biological material. I will discuss how an array of modeling tools such as scaling arguments, analytical formulas, and finite element simulations may be leveraged to address these microfluidic device development issues. I will also work through a few examples in detail.

Coffee Break, Networking, Visit the Exhibitors and Poster Viewing

Characterization of a Two-Tissue Microfluidic Platform for Modeling Cytotoxic Effects of Reactive Metabolites
Leslie Benet, Professor, Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences, University of California-San Francisco, United States of America

The limited ability of in vitro human liver systems to model the cytotoxic effects of reactive metabolites is currently an impediment to improving the preclinical prediction of drug safety.   Hepatic cell-based models in use today generally lack the stably long-enduring enzymatic and transporter competency, as well as the fluidic connectivity to cell-based models of other organs, sufficient to register hepatotoxicity when reactive metabolites are involved in the mechanism of action, or when a liver-initiated toxicity is manifested in another organ.  This talk will review experimental results generated on Hurel Corporation’s HµRELflow™two-tissue, microfluidic, hepatic cell-based assay platform, utilized with reference cytotoxicants known to involve metabolism in their cytotoxic pathways.

Nanofluidic Logic Circuit Elements For Ionic Flow Control
Shaurya Prakash, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, United States of America

A nanofluidic device with an embedded and fluidically isolated gate electrode, analogous to solid state semiconductor field effect devices were developed for exquisite ionic flow control. Specifically, the gated electric field allows for tunable control of both the magnitude and direction of the net ionic current through the nanochannels as a function of electrolyte concentration and gate electrode location permitting device operation as a multi-state switch and selective ion transport as a key advance towards artificial ion pumps and ion channels.

Microfluidic Systems for Measuring Dynamics of Hormone Secretion
Michael Roper, Associate Professor, Florida State University, United States of America

We have developed several analytical systems that are being used to measure and understand various aspects of the secretion dynamics of islets of Langerhans.  In this talk, a microfluidic system will be discussed that can simultaneously measure multiple peptides secreted from islets of Langerhans with high temporal resolution.  This system allows us to examine hormone secretion profiles from single or groups of islets after a challenge with a stimulant.  A microfluidic system will also be described that is being used to mimic an in vivo feedback loop between the pancreas and peripheral tissues.  Use of the appropriate conditions synchronizes individual islets producing population oscillations of intracellular [Ca2+] and insulin release with similar time periods as those observed in vivo.

Micro Swimmer Navigating in Microfluidic Environments
Sung Kwon Cho, Associate Professor, University Of Pittsburgh, United States of America

There have been a large number of research attempts to develop mircoswimmers to navigate passages in microfluidic devices and even narrow spaces inside human bodies to perform drug delivery, micro surgery, bio sensing, imaging, etc. This talk presents an underwater micro propulsion swimmer where a gaseous bubble trapped in a microchannel and oscillated by an external acoustic excitation generates a propelling force. The propelling swimmer is designed and microfabricated out of parylene in micro scale (equivalent diameter of the cylindrical bubble is around 60 µm) using microphotolithography. The propelling mechanism is studied and verified by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations as well as experiments. The acoustically excited and thus periodically oscillating bubble generates alternating flows of intake and discharge through an opening of the microchannel. Propelling motions by a single bubble as well as an array of bubbles are achieved in microscale. In addition, the micro swimmer demonstrates payload carrying. Moreover, using multiple bubbles with frequency matching method, Steering capability is achieved. 2-D steered propelling is demonstrated in a T-junction channel.

The Biomolecular Prototyping Unit (BPU) – Application to Enzyme Design, Personalized Medicine, and Genome Engineering
Peter Carr, Senior Staff, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States of America

We are engineering a microfluidic pipeline, the Biomolecular Prototyping Unit (BPU) to rapidly produce and test functions that can be programmed using DNA. Our ultimate goal is to integrate short DNA (oligonucleotide) synthesis, larger scale DNA assembly (to multiple kilobase pairs), on-chip expression (cellular and cell-free options), and diverse assays to quantify the encoded functions. I will present our current progress developing and integrating microfluidic modules for the BPU. Current application areas include [1]. constructing and testing many variants of engineered enzymes; [2]. assessing drug efficacy against a range of potentially resistant viral proteins; and [3]. evaluating designs for extreme genetic codes to be implemented genome-wide in bacteria.

Close of Day 3 of the Conference