Monday, 25 March 202400:00 |  | Conference Chair Welcome and Introduction by Conference Chairperson
Noah Malmstadt, Professor, Mork Family Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Southern California, United States of America
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| 00:00 |  | Keynote Presentation Title to be Confirmed.
Katherine Elvira, Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair, Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar, University of Victoria, Canada
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| 00:00 |  | Keynote Presentation Exploring the Potential of Microfluidics for Lab Automation
Burcu Gumuscu, Assistant Professor Biosensors and Devices Lab, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
Digital microfluidics (DMF) chips have garnered increasing attention over the past decade thanks to their ability to address individual droplets. These chips consist of an array of mm-sized electrodes to manipulate liquid-based, individually addressable droplets through applied voltages. Programmed sub-microliter scale droplets performing basic pipetting operations paved the way for the automation of laborious assays. Automated biological assays are an exciting application of DMF, including DNA-based analysis, electroanalysis, and short-term cell culture experiments. However, there are still limitations to be overcome. DMF chips are not yet able to excel in (1) multiplexed operations due to the 2D planar fabrication of operational units, limiting the number of operation units per chip, (2) long-term cell studies due to the typical mismatch of electronics devices and high humidity conditions in typical cell-culture incubators. In this talk, I will discuss these challenges and propose potential solutions to enhance the capabilities of DMF chips for automated biological assays. |
| 00:00 |  | Keynote Presentation Title to be Confirmed.
Stephen Hilton, Associate Professor, University College London School of Pharmacy, United Kingdom
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| 00:00 |  | Keynote Presentation Title to be Confirmed.
Peter Ertl, Professor of Lab-on-a-Chip Systems, Vienna University of Technology, Austria
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| 00:00 | Computer Simulations of Microfluidics – What Can We Learn, and How Can They Help Us?
Timm Krüger, Professor of Fluid and Suspension Dynamics, The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Microfluidics has become ubiquitous in the past decades. Exploiting various physical and chemical mechanisms, microfluidics offers fast and affordable solutions to pressing problems in industry and healthcare. However, due to the complexity and interplay of the involved mechanisms and geometries, it is notoriously difficult to reliably predict outcomes and design microfluidic devices. Computer simulations can help shed light on the underlying mechanisms and facilitate the design process. I will highlight the opportunities for experimental/numerical synergies to advance microfluidics further. | 00:00 | SOIL-ON-A-CHIP: Deciphering the Secret Life of Soil Microbes Using Novel Microfluidic Platforms
Claire Stanley, Senior Lecturer in Bioengineering, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Soil is one of the most complex systems on Earth, governed by numerous physical, geochemical and biological processes, and provides the ecosystem services vital for all forms of terrestrial life. This ‘material’ supports a myriad of plants, microorganisms and microfauna and hosts a complex array of interactions taking place between these living elements at the cellular scale. Microbes play a crucial role in the ecosystem services provided by soils to humans and provide several important ecosystem functions that include nutrient cycling, the biocontrol of pathogens and regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. However, despite the importance of microbes in soil functioning, there exists a major knowledge gap concerning the function and dynamics of the soil microbiome and influence of the physio-chemical environment upon microbial interaction and communication at the cellular level. The ability to untangle microbial interaction and communication networks in soil is central to gaining an enhanced understanding of soil microbiome and ecosystem function. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that microfluidic technology offers new opportunities to study whole living organisms and their interactions at cellular level, affording precise environmental control, high-resolution imaging and the simulation of environmental complexity. Several microfluidic systems have been developed to probe interactions between fungi, bacteria and nematodes, as well as the interaction of plant roots with their environment. My lab is now developing new microfluidic tools to investigate the cell biology and physiology of microbial spore germination and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi hyphal growth dynamics. | 00:00 |  | Keynote Presentation Prototyping of Microphysiologic Cell Culture Systems That Mimic Key Aspects of the Human Body
Mandy Esch, Project Leader, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States of America
Single and multi-organ microphysiologic systems (MPS) can be used to detect secondary drug toxicities stemming from drug metabolites. Here we describe how to design and prototype such systems to replicate key aspects of the human body that influence the concentration of drug metabolites within the system. Using 3D printing we have prototyped and tested several microfluidic MPS that can recirculate near-physiological amounts of cell culture medium. For example, the body cube represents a part of the human body that is scaled down by a factor of 73000. It can recirculate 80 µL of medium (the equivalent of 5L to 6L of blood scaled down by a factor of 73000). We have also developed several devices that recirculate small amounts of cell culture medium in a way that makes it feasible to culture mechanosensitive cells such as HUVEC or GI tract epithelial cells within the system. The talk given here is a summary of our efforts in this area. |
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Add to Calendar ▼2024-03-25 00:00:002024-03-26 00:00:00Europe/LondonInnovations in Microfluidics and 3D-Printing Europe 2024Innovations in Microfluidics and 3D-Printing Europe 2024 in Rotterdam, The NetherlandsRotterdam, The NetherlandsSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com
