SEAM: scalable easy access modular human organ-on-a-chip platform
Abstract not provided.
Publications
Microfluidic devices for genetic screening of positionally controlled cell cultures
Abstract not provided.
SEAM: scalable easy access modular human organ-on-chip platform
Abstract not provided.
Microfluidic platforms for RNA interference screening of virus-host interactions
Lab on a Chip
RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool for functional genomics with the capacity to comprehensively analyze host-pathogen interactions. High-throughput RNAi screening is used to systematically perturb cellular pathways and discover therapeutic targets, but the method can be tedious and requires extensive capital equipment and expensive reagents. To aid in the development of an inexpensive miniaturized RNAi screening platform, we have developed a two part microfluidic system for patterning and screening gene targets on-chip to examine cellular pathways involved in virus entry and infection. First, a multilayer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based spotting device was used to array siRNA molecules into 96 microwells targeting markers of endocytosis, along with siRNA controls. By using a PDMS-based spotting device, we remove the need for a microarray printer necessary to perform previously described small scale (e.g. cellular microarrays) and microchip-based RNAi screening, while still minimizing reagent usage tenfold compared to conventional screening. Second, the siRNA spotted array was transferred to a reversibly sealed PDMS-based screening platform containing microchannels designed to enable efficient cell loading and transfection of mammalian cells while preventing cross-contamination between experimental conditions. Validation of the screening platform was examined using Vesicular stomatitis virus and emerging pathogen Rift Valley fever virus, which demonstrated virus entry pathways of clathrin-mediated endocytosis and caveolae-mediated endocytosis, respectively. The techniques here are adaptable to other well-characterized infection pathways with a potential for large scale screening in high containment biosafety laboratories. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
Microfluidic chips for RNA interference screening
Abstract not provided.
Engineering the Pulmonary Blood-Gas Interface
Abstract not provided.
An ultra-sensitive microfluidic immunoassay using living radical polymerization and porous polymer monoliths
14th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences 2010, MicroTAS 2010
We present a platform that combines patterned photopolymerized polymer monoliths with living radical polymerization (LRP) to develop a low cost microfluidic based immunoassay capable of sensitive (low to sub pM) and rapid (<30 minute) detection of protein in 100 μL sample. The introduction of LRP functionality to the porous monolith allows one step grafting of functionalized affinity probes from the monolith surface while the composition of the hydrophilic graft chain reduces non-specific interactions and helps to significantly improve the limit of detection.
Biotechnology development for biomedical applications
Sandia's scientific and engineering expertise in the fields of computational biology, high-performance prosthetic limbs, biodetection, and bioinformatics has been applied to specific problems at the forefront of cancer research. Molecular modeling was employed to design stable mutations of the enzyme L-asparaginase with improved selectivity for asparagine over other amino acids with the potential for improved cancer chemotherapy. New electrospun polymer composites with improved electrical conductivity and mechanical compliance have been demonstrated with the promise of direct interfacing between the peripheral nervous system and the control electronics of advanced prosthetics. The capture of rare circulating tumor cells has been demonstrated on a microfluidic chip produced with a versatile fabrication processes capable of integration with existing lab-on-a-chip and biosensor technology. And software tools have been developed to increase the calculation speed of clustered heat maps for the display of relationships in large arrays of protein data. All these projects were carried out in collaboration with researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.
8 Results