A clinically validated human capillary blood transcriptome test for global systems biology studies.

To prevent and treat chronic diseases, including cancer, a global application of systems biology is needed. We report here a whole blood transcriptome test that needs only 50 μl of capillary (fingerprick) blood. This test is suitable for global applications because the samples are preserved at ambient temperature for up to 4 weeks and the RNA preservative inactivates all pathogens, enabling safe transportation.

A Robust Metatranscriptomic Technology for Population-Scale Studies of Diet, Gut Microbiome, and Human Health.

A functional readout of the gut microbiome is necessary to enable precise control of the gut microbiome's functions, which support human health and prevent or minimize a wide range of chronic diseases. Stool metatranscriptomic analysis offers a comprehensive functional view of the gut microbiome, but despite its usefulness, it has rarely been used in clinical studies due to its complexity, cost, and bioinformatic challenges. This method has also received criticism due to potential intrasample variability, rapid changes, and RNA degradation.

Integration of Next-generation Sequencing and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Targeted Symptom Control and Palliative Care in Solid Tumor Malignancies: A Multidisciplinary Clinician Perspective.

The molecular characterization of solid tumor malignancies with respect to tumorgenesis, risk stratification, and prognostication of chemotherapeutic side effects is multi-faceted. Characterizing these mechanisms requires a detailed understanding of cytogenetics and pharmacology. In addition to the standard palliative care interventions that address issues such as fatigue, neuropathy, performance status, depression, nutrition, cachexia, anxiety, and medical ethics, we must also delve into individual chemotherapy side effects.

A general strategy for expanding polymerase function by droplet microfluidics.

Polymerases that synthesize artificial genetic polymers hold great promise for advancing future applications in synthetic biology. However, engineering natural polymerases to replicate unnatural genetic polymers is a challenging problem. Here we present droplet-based optical polymerase sorting (DrOPS) as a general strategy for expanding polymerase function that employs an optical sensor to monitor polymerase activity inside the microenvironment of a uniform synthetic compartment generated by microfluidics.

Continuous flow real-time PCR device using multi-channel fluorescence excitation and detection.

High throughput automation is greatly enhanced using techniques that employ conveyor belt strategies with un-interrupted streams of flow. We have developed a 'conveyor belt' analog for high throughput real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) using droplet emulsion technology. We developed a low power, portable device that employs LED and fiber optic fluorescence excitation in conjunction with a continuous flow thermal cycler to achieve multi-channel fluorescence detection for real-time fluorescence measurements.

Passive droplet sorting using viscoelastic flow focusing.

We present a study of passive hydrodynamic droplet sorting in microfluidic channels based on intrinsic viscoelastic fluid properties. Sorting is achieved by tuning the droplets' intrinsic viscous and viscoelastic properties relative to the continuous oil phase to achieve a positive or negative lateral migration toward high or low shear gradients in the channel. In the presence of weakly viscoelastic fluid behavior, droplets with a viscosity ratio, κ, between 0.

1-Million droplet array with wide-field fluorescence imaging for digital PCR.

Digital droplet reactors are useful as chemical and biological containers to discretize reagents into picolitre or nanolitre volumes for analysis of single cells, organisms, or molecules. However, most DNA based assays require processing of samples on the order of tens of microlitres and contain as few as one to as many as millions of fragments to be detected. Presented in this work is a droplet microfluidic platform and fluorescence imaging setup designed to better meet the needs of the high-throughput and high-dynamic-range by integrating multiple high-throughput droplet processing schemes on the chip.

Tunable 3D droplet self-assembly for ultra-high-density digital micro-reactor arrays.

We present a tunable three-dimensional (3D) self-assembled droplet packing method to achieve high-density micro-reactor arrays for greater imaging efficiency and higher-throughput chemical and biological assays. We demonstrate the capability of this platform's high-density imaging method by performing single molecule quantification using digital polymerase chain reaction, or digital PCR, in multiple self-assembled colloid-like crystal lattice configurations. By controlling chamber height to droplet diameter ratios we predictively control three-dimensional packing configurations with varying degrees of droplet overlap to increase droplet density and imaging sensor area coverage efficiency.

Optimal conditions for protein array deposition using continuous flow.

Optimal conditions for depositing protein microarrays using a continuous-flow microfluidic device, the continuous-flow microspotter (CFM), have been determined using a design of experiments approach. The amount of protein deposited on the surface depends on the rates of convective and diffusive transport to the surface and binding at the surface. These rates depend on parameters such as the flow rate, time, and capture mechanism at the surface.