Lab on a ChipOr: The Incredible Shrinking Science Experiment!
Or: APOIBE!Dr. Eric Lagally
Credits: Mathies Lab, UC-BerkeleyQuake Lab, StanfordAgilent, Inc.
Microfluidics
Microfluidics: The use of microfabrication techniques from the IC industry to fabricate channels, chambers, reactors, and active components on the size scale of the width of a human hair or smaller
Credit: Dr. Karen Cheung, UBC ECE
Why use microfluidics?
1 molecule in 1 L = 1.6 x 10-18 M1 molecule in 1 nL = 1.6 x 10-15 M1 molecule in 1 pL = 1.6 x 10-12 M
Credit: Dr. Karen Cheung, UBC ECE
• Sample savings – nL of enzyme, not L• Faster analyses – can heat, cool small volumes
quickly• Integration – combine lots of steps onto a single
device• Novel physics – diffusion, surface tension, and
surface effects dominate– This can actually lead to faster reactions!
Why use microfluidics?
Some interesting LOC applications
• Genetic analysis– Portable devices for pathogen detection– High-throughput biology
• Chemical synthesis
• Metabolite analysis
• Drug delivery systems
Courtesy of Dr. Boris Stoeber
Bacterial PathogensFood poisoning Wound infections
Biowarfare Food poisoning:Pathogenic E. coli: >1 in 10,000 in CanadaSalmonella spp.: as high as 1 in 50 eggs
Wound infections:Antibiotic-resistant S. aureus: as high as 50%
Lung Disease:Pseudomonas spp. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Biowarfare:Anthrax, plague, smallpox
Lung Disease
Dr. Sharon Peacock, University of Oxford
Methods for Genetic Detection of Pathogens
OLD WAY: NEW WAY:Develop bacterial pathogen detectors that are:
Rapid (< 1 hour)
Sensitive (detect a single cell)
Genetically Specific
Field-portable
General (many different types of pathogens)
Portable System for Infectious Disease Detection
System measures 8 x 10 x 12 inches
• Complete fluorescence detection including488-nm solid-state laser, PMT, optics,and detection electronics
• Heater and RTD electronics• 4 high-voltage CE power supplies• PDMS microvalve hardware• Simple PC interface
Time (seconds)
Tem
per
atu
re (
°C)
Thermal Cycling Characteristics
Time (seconds)
> 5X faster than conventional thermal cyclers
Application: Tuberculosis (TB) detection
Disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
9 million new cases of active TB every year worldwide
2 million TB deaths every year
450,000 new cases of multi-drug resistant TB / yr
10% of TB cases in South Africa are XDR TB strains, resistant to first- and second-line antibiotics
Doctors Without Borders:
Current TB detection methods
1. Fixation and staining with acid-fast stains(Ziehl-Neelsen or auramine stains)
2. Optical or fluorescence microscope examination ( 10,000 organisms/mL)
3. Culture in biosafety level 3 containmentfacility
In select cases, molecular detection is used to verify diagnosis
"That TB destroys millions of lives around the world every year shows that the current approach is just not working…The tools we have to treat and diagnose TB are
woefully inadequate and outdated, and we're not seeing the necessary urgency to tackle the disease."
Dr. Tido von Schoen-Angerer, Director, DWB’s Campaign for the Access to Essential Medicines