Principles of Microfluidics and Construction of microTAS

29 May 2012, at 09:00 - 12:30 in Hamburg, Germany

Who should attend?

The course is suitable for scientists, technicians and engineers who would like to learn (more) about micro-and nanofluidics and its applications in the area of life sciences. Researchers who are interested in working with such lab-on-a-chip devices will acquire a comprehensive overview of the field. The course will also provide an opportunity for researchers who already have experience with microfluidic devices but who would like to update or broaden their knowledge on recent developments in bio-applications.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the benefits and limitations of miniaturisation and learn how microfluidic devices can be fabricated, assembled and operated.

2. Understand the behaviour of fluids in microchannels and nanochannels and learn how this has led to methods of pumping, mixing and detection that can be quite different from those used on the larger scale.

3. Gain a broad overview over the applications of microfluidic and nanofluidic devices in the area of life sciences including DNA and protein analysis as well as recent developments in cell and tissue analysis.

4. Understand the challenges and recent developments towards integrated and portable analysis systems (microTAS) that can be used at the point-of-care for medical applications, at-the-scene for forensic applications or in-the-field for environmental and biodefence applications.

Topics and Course Organisation

Principles of Microfluidics and Construction of microTAS

1. Benefits of miniaturising fluid handling

for (bio)chemical reactions

for the separation of sample mixtures

integration and automation, micro total analysis systems (microTAS)

microfluidics versus nanofluidics

2. Flow behaviour in micro- and nanochannels

laminar and turbulent flow

diffusion

multi-phase flow

3. Handling of fluids 

components for fluid handling

pumping (hydrodynamic, electroosmotic)

mixing (passive and active)

valves and other means of flow stream control

4. Detection in microfluidic devices

optical (fluorescence, chemiluminescence)

electro-chemical

spectroscopic and spectrometric

thermal lens microscopy

5. Fabrication of lab-on-a-chip devices

materials and biocompatibility

silicon and glass devices

polymer devices

interfacing and packaging

Applications of Lab-on-a-Chip Devices in Bioanalysis

1. DNA analysis

DNA separation

on-chip polymerase chain reaction

DNA hybridisation assays

2. Protein analysis

on-chip immunoassays

pre-concentration of proteins

protein separation

microchips coupled to mass spectrometers

3. Cell and tissue analysis

handling of cells in microfluidic devices

single cell analysis

parallel analysis on cell arrays

on-chip tissue analysis

4. Integrated devices for point-of-care or in-the-field analysis

microfluidic devices for medical point-of-care applications

microfluidic devices for forensic applications

microfluidic devices for biodefence applications

About the tutor:

Dr Nicole Pamme is a lecturer in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Hull (UK). Her research is focused on bioanalysis in microfluidic devices, magnetism and microfluidics as well as the fabrication of lab-on-a-chip devices. Teaching activities within the Department include lectures on micro- and nanofluidics as well as microanalytical and forensic chemistry. In addition to publishing in the area of miniaturisation, Nicole Pamme has also co-authored a textbook on bioanalytical chemistry.

Nicole Pamme obtained a Diploma in Chemistry from the University of Marburg (Germany), in 1999. For her PhD she went to Imperial College London (UK) where she joined the group of Prof. Andreas Manz. It was here that she first started working with microfluidic devices, more specifically, on single particle analysis inside microfluidic channels. In 2004, she moved to Tsukuba (Japan) as an independent research fellow in the International Centre for Young Scientists (ICYS) based at the Japanese National Institute for Materials Science. She was appointed as a lecturer in Hull in December 2005.

www.hull.ac.uk/chemistry/pamme