Droplet Microfluidics: Screening, Amplification and Dilution on the Microscale
Event details
| Date | 06.12.2013 |
| Hour | 13:15 |
| Speaker |
Prof. Andrew J. deMello, ETH Zürich (CH) Bio: Andrew deMello is currently Professor of Biochemical Engineering in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETH Zurich. Prior to his arrival in Zurich he was Professor of Chemical Nanosciences and Head of the Nanostructured Materials and Devices Section in the Chemistry Department at Imperial College London. He obtained a 1st Class Degree in Chemistry and PhD in Molecular Photophysics from Imperial College London in 1995 and subsequently held a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley working with professor Richard Mathies. His research interests cover a broad range of activities in the general area of microfluidics and nanoscale science. Primary specializations include the development of microfluidic devices for high-throughput biological and chemical analysis, ultra-sensitive optical detection techniques, nanofluidic reaction systems for chemical synthesis, novel methods for nanoparticle synthesis, the exploitation of semiconducting materials in diagnostic applications, the development of intelligent microfluidics and the processing of living organisms. Andrew has given approximately 250 invited lectures at conferences and universities in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia (including 50 plenary or keynote lectures), has published 170 papers in refereed journals, and co-authored two books. He currently sits on the Editorial Boards of Chemistry World, The Journal of Flow Chemistry, Biomicrofluidics, BioChip journal and Imperial College Press. He is also co-founder of Molecular Vision Ltd, an Imperial College spin-out company developing low-cost diagnostic devices for use in the doctor's surgery and in the home. Science originating from the deMello group has been recognized through the award of the 2002 SAC Silver Medal (Royal Society of Chemistry), the 2009 Clifford Paterson Medal from The Royal Society, the 2009 Corday Morgan Medal (Royal Society of Chemistry) and the 2007 Clark Memorial Lectureship (California State University). |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Abstract:
The past 15 years have seen considerable progress in the development of microfabricated systems for use in the chemical and biological sciences. Interest in microfluidic technology has in large part been driven by concomitant advances in the areas of genomics, proteomics, drug discovery, high-throughput screening and diagnostics, with a clearly defined need to perform rapid measurements on small sample volumes. At a basic level, microfluidic activities have been stimulated by the fact that physical processes can be more easily controlled when instrumental dimensions are reduced to the micron scale.
The relevance of such technology is significant and characterized by a range of features that accompany system miniaturization. Such features include the ability to process small volumes of fluid, enhanced analytical performance, reduced instrumental footprints, low unit costs, facile integration of functional components within monolithic substrates and the capacity to exploit atypical fluid behaviour to control chemical and biological entities in both time and space. Based on these advantageous characteristics, microfluidic systems have been used to good effect in a wide variety of applications including nucleic acid separations, protein analysis, process control, small-molecule synthesis, DNA amplification, immunoassays, DNA sequencing, cell manipulations, nanomaterial synthesis and medical diagnostics.
My lecture will describe recent studies that are focused on exploiting the spontaneous formation of droplets in microfluidic systems to perform a variety of analytical processes. Specifically I will report on how nanoliter-sized droplets can be used as an effective tool in coupling two-dimensional analytical separations in both time and space. Additionally, I will describe a new technique for high-throughput dilution and screening of nanoliter-sized droplets in microfluidic channels.
The past 15 years have seen considerable progress in the development of microfabricated systems for use in the chemical and biological sciences. Interest in microfluidic technology has in large part been driven by concomitant advances in the areas of genomics, proteomics, drug discovery, high-throughput screening and diagnostics, with a clearly defined need to perform rapid measurements on small sample volumes. At a basic level, microfluidic activities have been stimulated by the fact that physical processes can be more easily controlled when instrumental dimensions are reduced to the micron scale.
The relevance of such technology is significant and characterized by a range of features that accompany system miniaturization. Such features include the ability to process small volumes of fluid, enhanced analytical performance, reduced instrumental footprints, low unit costs, facile integration of functional components within monolithic substrates and the capacity to exploit atypical fluid behaviour to control chemical and biological entities in both time and space. Based on these advantageous characteristics, microfluidic systems have been used to good effect in a wide variety of applications including nucleic acid separations, protein analysis, process control, small-molecule synthesis, DNA amplification, immunoassays, DNA sequencing, cell manipulations, nanomaterial synthesis and medical diagnostics.
My lecture will describe recent studies that are focused on exploiting the spontaneous formation of droplets in microfluidic systems to perform a variety of analytical processes. Specifically I will report on how nanoliter-sized droplets can be used as an effective tool in coupling two-dimensional analytical separations in both time and space. Additionally, I will describe a new technique for high-throughput dilution and screening of nanoliter-sized droplets in microfluidic channels.
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Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Prof. Sebastian Maerkl