State of Utah Center of Excellence for Biomedical Microfluidics
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THE VIDEO/TELEVISION NEWS REPORT The Center is working to develop a continuous flow microspotter for the deposition of high quality spots of DNA, proteins, cells, sugars, lipids, and other biomolecules. The spotter can be used for doing multi-step chemistry on a chip and sequential deposition. Due to the ability of the spotter to individually address each spot, crosstalk is minimized and background signals reduced. The technology is being developed by Wasatch Microfluidics for:
The Continuous Flow Microspotter. The CFM operates by flowing solution over individual microarray sites through microchannel “loops” molded into the silicone polymer PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane). The spotting face is pressed against a substrate to create a seal. Small openings on the face allow the solution to make contact with the surface (see Figure 1). The CFM can be used to sequentially flow different samples or reagents through the channels. Therefore, it can be used to perform surface modifications, deposit biomolecules, carry out wash steps and deliver reagents, during which time each spot is kept isolated from surrounding spots and the atmosphere. To scale the technology for high-throughput, many flow loops are placed next to one another in a thin layer, followed by stacking many layers together, creating a device that can address hundreds or thousands of sites on a rectangular array. Strengths of the Technology. The strengths of the technology include:
The CFM as a Point-of-Care Diagnostic Tool. As a future diagnostic tool, the CFM has a significant advantage over microtiter plate and microarray ELISAs, in that dedicated microarray printing or fluid handling robotics are not necessary. All fluid handling and deposition is conducted directly within the disposable CFM print head. A small pumping device is needed to circulate the fluids, but this can be accomplished with an inexpensive handheld or small desktop unit. Integration of optics could allow for immediate detection and quantification of results. Contamination would not be of concern, because fluids only contact the interior of the disposable CFM device and not the dedicated pumping and sensing equipment. For a point-of-care (POC) device, assay performance will be further simplified by merging multiple wells with each flow loop, thereby allowing capture agents, buffers and other fluids to be pre-loaded and stored within the disposable CFM head. Thus, the insertion of patient samples would be the only step required of a physician or lab technician.
Figure 2. Drawing of the spotter showing basic design and concept for a manufactured device.
Figure 3. Left: A packaged spotter with an arrow pointing to the printing face. Right: A close up of the printing face showing the areas for spot deposition and the flow channels.
Students Involved: David Chang-Yen, Sriram Natarajan, Josh Eckman, and Mark Eddings Publications related to the Continuous Flow Microspotter: D. A. Chang-Yen, and B. K. Gale, "A PDMS Microfluidic Spotter for Fabrication of Lipid Microarrays," in Proc. Of IEEE-MMB 2005, Oahu, Hawaii, May 12-15, 2005. David A. Chang-yen and Bruce K. Gale, “PDMS microfluidic spotter for fabrication of protein chips and micro-arrays,” in Proc. Of SPIE: Microfluidics, BioMEMS, and Medical Microsystems III, San Jose, CA, January 22-27, 2005 In Collaboration with: David Myszka, Dept of Biochemistry |
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