What is microfluidics used for?
Microfluidics allows for handling of liquid with volumes typically in the range of nano- to microliters (10− 9 to 10− 6 L) or smaller. Microfluidics is key to advancing molecular sensors based on bioassays including immunoassay, cell separation, and DNA amplification and analysis, among many other examples.
What is a microfluidic model?
In particular, microfluidic models allow including all the main elements involved in the process of extravasation (e.g., geometry of the blood vessel, presence of a 3D environment, etc.) within a cell culture device, thus reproducing the architecture of the in vivo milieu.
What is microfluidics chip?
A microfluidic chip is a set of micro-channels etched or molded into a material (glass, silicon or polymer such as PDMS, for PolyDimethylSiloxane). The micro-channels forming the microfluidic chip are connected together in order to achieve the desired features (mix, pump, sort, or control the biochemical environment).
What is chip in cancer?
The CHIP Clinic screens and monitors patients with clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP): somatic mutations in blood or bone marrow cells that increase the risk of blood cancers and heart disease. Listen as Dr.
What are the main advantages of using microfluidics?
The advantages of microfluidic cell culture include the ability to more closely mimic a cell’s natural microenvironment, for example by continuous perfusion culture or by creating chemical gradients, and to study low numbers of cells or single cells in high temporal and/or spatial resolution via automation.
How does digital microfluidics work?
Digital microfluidics harnesses electrowetting to control droplets. Electrical signals are applied to an array of electrodes to define the size and position of each droplet. Droplets are moved by turning the voltage on and off in succession across adjacent electrodes.
What is the role of microfluidics technology in the society?
Microfluidic technologies can provide the possibility of analyzing the response of multiple cells, tissues, or organs to a specific drug, thus helping the development of novel therapies. Another future direction of such systems is the combination of microfluidic devices and sensing platforms for drug delivery.
What is chip mutation?
Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is a new entity in which somatic mutations are found in cells of the blood or bone marrow, but no other criteria for hematologic neoplasia are met. Its prevalence rises with age and is roughly 10% among persons aged 70 to 80.
What is chip diagnosis?
CHIP is diagnosed when a test on a person’s blood or bone marrow sample shows that blood cells are carrying one of the genetic mutations associated with the condition. It’s usually discovered when an individual has a DNA test as part of treatment for another disease.
Are microfluidics expensive?
For photomasks with feature sizes over 10 µm, the cost ranges from $100–500 depending on the masks’ size and material. There is also another option, which is the film photomask provided by companies such as Micro Lithography Services LTD with the cost only about $100 for features down to 5 µm.
How does droplet microfluidics work?
Droplet-based microfluidics manipulate discrete volumes of fluids in immiscible phases with low Reynolds number and laminar flow regimes. Two immiscible phases used for the droplet based systems are referred to as the continuous phase (medium in which droplets flow) and dispersed phase (the droplet phase).
Who discovered microfluidics?
Frederick Stanley Kipping, the British chemist considered the father of silicon chemistry. The first microfluidic devices were usually made of silicon and glass since the fabrication techniques derived from microelectronics were well known [3].