Microfluidics News and Research

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Innovative tool helps observe protein aggregates linked to neurodegenerative diseases

For rent: 32 individual rooms for a combined surface area of 4cm2, heating and food included! Biologists and microfluidics specialists at EPFL have joined forces and developed a highly innovative research tool: a 2cm by 2cm 'chip' with 32 independent compartments, each of which is designed to hold a nematode - a widely used worm in the research world. The device is described in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration.

16 Feb 2016

TSRI scientists develop new screening device for drug discovery

Screening large "libraries" of compounds to find those with a desired biological activity is a powerful method for discovering new drugs, but requires a large, expensive and dedicated facility. Now, scientists at the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have devised the central component of a screening system that would be orders of magnitude smaller and cheaper.

11 Feb 2016

ProteinSimple expands Simple Plex immunoassay offering with launch of new single analyte cartridge

ProteinSimple announced today an expansion of the Simple Plex immunoassay offering by launching a new single analyte cartridge for the analysis of 72 samples at once. This new cartridge enables Simple Plex users to run 72 samples in an hour with triplicate results. It is powered by R&D Systems reagents, the expert in immunoassays.

From ProteinSimple 29 Jan 2016

Three RIT students awarded top honors for research on bio-separation techniques

Three students from Rochester Institute of Technology were recognized for their research findings about improvements to bio-separation techniques for lab-on-a-chip medical devices. They were awarded top honors in several categories in the undergraduate and graduate research competitions at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers annual meeting and conference in November in Salt Lake City, Utah.

28 Jan 2016

New biopsy system shows promise for early detection of colorectal cancer

A university spin-off, AWSensors, is coordinating the European project LIQBIOPSENS to develop liquid biopsy technologies for the early detection of colorectal cancer.

23 Dec 2015

MIPT researchers patent graphene biosensors that may accelerate development of novel drugs

The US Patent Office has recently published the patent application (no. US 2015/0301039), which was filed by the MIPT in May this year and is titled Biological Sensor and a Method of the Production of Biological Sensor. In Russia, this development is already protected by the patent No. 2527699 with a priority date of February 20, 2013. The key feature of the sensor is the use of a linking layer for biomolecule immobilization comprising a thin film of graphene or graphene oxide.

17 Nov 2015

UConn-led researchers develop simple technique for diagnosis and monitoring of sickle cell disease

A team of UConn biomedical engineers, working with colleagues from Yale, MIT, and Harvard, has developed a simple, inexpensive, and quick technique for the diagnosis and monitoring of sickle cell disease that can be used in regions where advanced medical technology and training are scarce.

5 Nov 2015

New self-contained device could provide instant results to routine lab tests, accelerate treatment and diagnosis

Researchers at Houston Methodist, along with collaborators at two major Singapore institutions, have developed a lab in a needle device that could provide instant results to routine lab tests, accelerating treatment and diagnosis by days.

29 Sep 2015

FAU researcher finds unique way to monitor sickle cell disease

A researcher from Florida Atlantic University has come up with a unique way to monitor sickle cell disease -- a serious blood disorder -- using a smart phone. With a $166,935 grant from the National Science Foundation, E. (Sarah) Du, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering in FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science, and principal investigator, will develop a portable smart sensor and a phone application for patients to analyze and store the results of their blood tests on a smart phone.

23 Sep 2015

Study shows how single-cell organisms can somersault or bend their bodies

In a paper appearing in Scientific Reports today, the motion of micro-organisms as they swim through various types of fluid channels show "quite strange and new" responses for single cell organisms, including the performance of somersaults, meandering wanderings, and even a ballistic type of behavior, wrote Sunghwan "Sunny" Jung, a member of the Virginia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics.

20 Aug 2015

Researchers describe new Lab-on-a-Disc device for fast and reliable diagnostics of urinary tract infections

Urinary tract infections can quickly move from being a merely miserable experience to a life-threatening condition. Untreated cases may trigger sepsis, which occurs when the immune system, in an attempt to fight off the infection, inadvertently activates body-wide inflammation that can cause blood clots and leaky blood vessels.

12 Aug 2015

New technology enhances investigations of epigenomes

A new technology that will dramatically enhance investigations of epigenomes, the machinery that turns on and off genes and a very prominent field of study in diseases such as stem cell differentiation, inflammation and cancer, is reported on today in the research journal Nature Methods.

28 Jul 2015

New device tracks chemical messages that regulate cell growth

Biomedical engineers at the University of Toronto have invented a new device that more quickly and accurately "listens in" on the chemical messages that tell our cells how to multiply.

25 Jun 2015

New study shows that estrogen receptors vanish in cervical cancer tumors

Scientists have prior evidence that the hormone estrogen is a major driver in the growth of cervical cancer, but a new study examining genetic profiles of 128 clinical cases reached a surprising conclusion: Estrogen receptors all but vanish in cervical cancer tumors.

10 Jun 2015

Significant progress for Epigem in SYMPHONY aflatoxin research

Epigem has developed, using microfluidics, a de-fatting device which is as efficient as a centrifuge and will reduce animal tests times from hours to minutes...

16 Apr 2015

Research breakthrough could help develop tools to repair damaged nerve cells

A team of researchers at the IRCM led by Frédéric Charron, PhD, in collaboration with bioengineers at McGill University, uncovered a new kind of synergy in the development of the nervous system, which explains an important mechanism required for neural circuits to form properly.

1 Apr 2015

Researchers develop smartphone accessory for rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases at point of care

A team of researchers, led by Samuel K. Sia, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has developed a low-cost smartphone accessory that can perform a point-of-care test that simultaneously detects three infectious disease markers from a finger prick of blood in just 15 minutes.

5 Feb 2015

CUMC researcher develops new 3D microscope that can help view living things at very high speeds

Opening new doors for biomedical and neuroscience research, Elizabeth Hillman, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering and of radiology at Columbia University Medical Center, has developed a new microscope that can image living things in 3D at very high speeds.

20 Jan 2015

Precision NanoSystems, Arcturus Therapeutics partner to develop RNA medicines

Precision NanoSystems, a leader in the development and application of microfluidics for the manufacture of nanomedicines; and, Arcturus Therapeutics, a leading small interfering RNA (siRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) drug discovery and development company, today announced a partnership for the manufacture of RNA medicines.

From Precision NanoSystems Inc. 11 Jan 2015

Epigem challenges students to come up with solutions to improve quality, safety of milk

Epigem, a high-tech British micro-engineering company, has challenged 15 students from the Durham University-led SOFI CDT (Centre for Doctoral Training in Soft Matter and Functional Interfaces), to come up with solutions to prevent a dangerous carcinogen from contaminating milk.

2 Dec 2014