Particle-based Molecular Separation
A PMMS–SERS system enables sensitive analyte detection, with benefits for applications requiring bacteria identification and quantification.
Application: Lab-on-a-Chip
LSPR Sensor for Inflammatory Biomarker Detection
A localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor enables inflammatory biomarker detection, with benefits for immune status monitoring, and diagnosis of inflammatory diseases.
Microchip-Capillary Electrophoresis Device
Microfluidic devices, with their potential for portability and rapid analysis times, can bring cost-effective flexibility to modern analytical chemistry applications. However, the design and fabrication of microchips can involve trade-offs between cost, flexibility of configuration, and ideal surface properties or performance. To circumvent these drawbacks, we have developed a hybrid platform consisting of simple microfabricated … Read more
Circulating Tumor Cell Immuncapture Automation
The manipulation of biological samples for diagnostic purposes requires reproducibility and simplicity to be useful in practice. As microfluidic devices transition towards use in medical diagnostics, traditional handheld syringe pumps can be too bulky and laborious for medical procedures that require quick turnaround times. Here, we discuss the evaluation of a portable breadboard platform that … Read more
Hydrodynamic Focusing
Hydrodynamic focusing capitalizes on the inherent advantages of the flow physics of a microfluidic system to overcome functional challenges encountered in microfluidic conditions such as mixing and the delivery of particles such as cells for counting. Hydrodynamic focusing requires reproducible flow rates, valving, and automated control of pumps and valves to direct the processes on … Read more
FASS for Sample Concentration in a Nanochannel
A ubiquitous problem in analytical chemistry is the push to increase signal-to-noise (S/N) and to lower the limits of detection (LOD) for many sample separation methods. Low S/N is typically due to the inherent low concentration of the sample in the system and the band-broadening of the sample in dead volumes of the analytical system. … Read more
Electrokinetic Gated Injection
The microfluidic chip platform offers an advantage for electrokinetic chemical separations by eliminating the dead volume normally encountered with tubing connections. In order to capitalize on this advantage, sample injections must be performed on chip. The gated injection loads a variable injection volume by controlling velocity and injection time. The gated injection controls plug size … Read more
Prediction of Trapping Zones
Baylon-Cardiel, J.L.; Lapizco-Encinas,B.L.;Reyes-Betanzo,C.; Chavez-Santoscoy,A.V.; Martınez-Chapa, S.O. Prediction of trapping zones in an insulator-based dielectrophoretic device Lab-on-a-Chip, 2009, 9, 2896–2901. Abstract A mathematical model is implemented to study the performance of an insulator-based dielectrophoretic device. The geometry of the device was captured in a computational model that solves Laplace equation within an array of cylindrical insulating … Read more