(5ce) Compartmentalizing the Application: Microfluidic Chips for Combinatorial Screening

The emerging field of microfluidic devices has led to a variety of creative options that surpass operation at the macroscale. The low Reynolds numbers and high surface-to-volume ratios typically found in microfluidic devices can be exploited for excellent control over mass transport and heat transfer. These phenomena have lead to creative and varied devices relying on a rich amalgamation of multiple disciplines from optics and physics to biology and chemistry. At the Kenis Microsystems Group, we have focused on crafting experimental chambers into microfluidic devices capable of combinatorial synthesis, crystallization studies, and fuel cell optimization.

Specifically, my work has focused on the combinatorial aspect of microfluidic design, building chips for microscale combinatorial library synthesis of sub-nanoliter volumes. Working collaboratively with biophysics and electrical engineering groups, we have incorporated screening capabilities within our microfluidic combinatorial chips by using new valving structures utilizing Actuate-to-Open (AtO) valves. For determining viable protein inhibition candidates, we included photonic crystal biosensors to determine product feasibility. We are also using molecular beacons for individually resolved fluorescence response of viral targets for point-of-care clinical applications. Given my current experience with microfluidic routing, my goal is to expand upon the complex designs I have crafted and look at other applications in multistep synthesis, biophysical studies and integrated optical readout.