Microfluidics News and Research

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Separating the good from the bad

Scientists at MIT and Brown University studying how marine bacteria move recently discovered that a sharp variation in water current segregates right-handed bacteria from their left-handed brethren, impelling the microbes in opposite directions.

15 Apr 2009

Microfluidic Systems granted U.S. patent for automated microfluidic DNA separation cartridge

Microfluidic Systems, a privately-held company, announced today that they were granted US patent number 7,491,527 for an automated microfluidic DNA separation cartridge.

30 Mar 2009

Polymer nanowires detect cancer biomarker

Investigators at the University of California, Riverside, have developed a simple and cost-effective method of building conducting polymer nanowires that can detect a wide range of levels of a cancer biomarker. This work, which was published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, could serve as a model for portable cancer detection equipment suitable for use in a doctor's office.

26 Mar 2009

Microfluidic device mimics tumor microenvironment, helps drug discovery

One of the challenges that cancer researchers face in designing new antitumor agents is that of predicting how drug molecules will behave in the complex microenvironment that surrounds a tumor. In particular, tumors create all sorts of chemical and physical barriers that limit how much drug is able to enter a tumor, let alone reach cells deep within a tumor.

23 Feb 2009

New imaging techniques let scientists see biomolecules more clearly

Scientists have always wanted to take a closer look at biological systems and materials. From the magnifying glass to the electron microscope, they have developed increasingly sophisticated imaging devices.

23 Feb 2009

NRL partners with industry to develop compact biosensor for wide-ranging applications

Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) are partnering with industry to develop a sensor system for biomolecules that could make a significant contribution to a variety of fields such as healthcare, veterinary diagnostics, food safety, environmental testing, and national security.

3 Feb 2009

Biologically tagged nanowires integrated onto circuit chips

A handheld, ultra-portable device that can recognize and immediately report on a wide variety of environmental or medical compounds may eventually be possible, using a method that incorporates a mixture of biologically tagged nanowires onto integrated circuit chips, according to Penn State researchers.

19 Jan 2009

Microfluidic devices capture and analyze single cancer cells

One of the grand goals in nanotechnology is to develop a single microfluidic device that integrates all of the components needed to perform polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based nucleic acid analyses. Experts predict that such a device would enable researchers to develop rapid assays for cancer and other life-threatening diseases while a patient is in the doctor's office.

18 Jan 2009

Barcode chip enables cheaper, faster blood testing

A new barcode chip developed by a multi-institutional team of investigators promises to revolutionize diagnostic medical testing. In less than 10 minutes and using just a pinprick's worth of blood, the chip can measure the concentrations of dozens of proteins, including those that herald the presence of diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

29 Dec 2008

Ship-in-a-bottle kit on a microchip

Sometimes physicists resort to tried and trusted model-making tricks. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research, the University of Stuttgart and the Colorado School of Mines have constructed micromachines using the same trick that model makers use to get ships into a bottle where the masts and rigging of the sailing ship are not erected until it is in the bottle.

3 Dec 2008

Lab on a microfluidic chip for the GP's surgery

If doctors were able to conduct efficient genetic analysis at the point of care, using inexpensive, portable equipment, it would revolutionise disease detection and treatment. European researchers are close to enabling this revolution.

2 Dec 2008

New cell analysis platform developed - commercial partners sought

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking commercial partners to license or contribute to the continued development of a new lab-on-a-chip platform for high-throughput manipulation and interrogation of individual cells, one that enables quantitative analysis of cellular behaviors with unprecedented speed, resolution, sensitivity, and multiplexing.

1 Dec 2008

Scientists develop 'barcode chip' to revolutionize diagnostic medical testing

In less than 10 minutes, and using just a pinprick's worth of blood, the chip can measure the concentrations of dozens of proteins, including those that herald the presence of diseases like cancer and heart disease.

25 Nov 2008

Scientists find cells reorganize shape to fit situation

Flip open any biology textbook and you're bound to see a complicated diagram of the inner workings of a cell, with its internal scaffolding, the cytoskeleton, and how it maintains a cell's shape.

24 Nov 2008

New technology to control the motion of bacteria that produce cellulose - biomaterial and medical implant potential

Two Virginia Tech engineers have put bacteria to work as tiny weavers of biomaterials and medical implants.

11 Nov 2008

Micronics receives two new patents on microfluidic technologies

Micronics, Inc. today announced that it has been issued two patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for novel microfluidic devices and methods. These new patents relate to the company’s focus on the development of rapid and easy to use clinical diagnostic products.

29 Sep 2008

Accelr8 announces publication of study on OptiChem bio-coatings

Accelr8 Technology Corporation announced today that two teams of university research collaborators report new methods for scalable production with the company’s patented OptiChem bio-coatings.

11 Sep 2008

Anti-itching drug clemizole shows promise against hepatitis C

The fight against the liver disease hepatitis C has been at something of an impasse for years, with more than 150 million people currently infected, and traditional antiviral treatments causing nasty side effects and often falling short of a cure. Using a novel technique, medical and engineering researchers at Stanford University have discovered a vulnerable step in the virus' reproduction process that in lab testing could be effectively targeted with an obsolete antihistamine.

31 Aug 2008

Prostate Cancer Foundation 'beefs up' cancer research

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) has committed more than $19 million in new research funding for scientific investigations focused on discovering new treatments for recurrent prostate cancer. A total of eight programs representing 18 leading research institutions and 36 researchers were selected as part of the foundation's 2008 Challenge Awards. The funded programs will receive the first of three annual payments, ranging between $500,000 and $1.0 million per program, this week.

4 Jun 2008