Isolation of target DNA using synergistic magnetic bead transport and electrokinetic flow.

The advent and dissemination of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies such as Illumina's sequencing platforms has brought forth vast reductions in the cost, time, and technical difficulties associated with DNA and RNA sequencing. Despite this trend, the workflow required to generate nucleic acid libraries for sequencing remains time-consuming and laborious. The following research proposes a method for simplifying and streamlining this process by replacing the manual washing steps of the common magnetic bead-based cleanup with a novel microfluidic method by integrating magnetic separation and electrokinetic purification (MSEP).

Hydrodynamics of the Bio-Gripper: A Fluid-Driven "Claw Machine" for Soft Microtissue Translocation.

Technological advances in solid organ tissue engineering that rely on the assembly of small tissue-building parts require a novel transport method suited for soft, deformable, living objects of submillimeter- to centimeter-length scale. We describe a technology that utilizes membrane flow through a gripper to generate optimized pressure differentials across the top and bottom surfaces of microtissue so that the part may be gripped and lifted. The flow and geometry parameters are developed for automation by analyzing the fluid mechanics framework by which a gripper can lift tissue parts off solid and porous surfaces.

The bio-gripper: a fluid-driven micro-manipulator of living tissue constructs for additive bio-manufacturing.

We previously developed the Bio-Pick, Place, and Perfuse (Bio-P3) instrument to fabricate large perfusable tissue constructs by stacking and aligning scaffold-free living microtissues with integrated lumens. The Bio-P3 required an actuating mechanism to manipulate living microtissues of various sizes and shapes that are fragile, and must remain in an aqueous environment. The optical transparency of the Bio-P3 gripping device was essential to provide unobstructed visuals for accurate alignment of microtissues.

Isolating Influenza RNA from Clinical Samples Using Microfluidic Oil-Water Interfaces.

The effective and robust separation of biomolecules of interest from patient samples is an essential step in diagnostic applications. We present a platform for the fast extraction of nucleic acids from clinical specimens utilizing paramagnetic PMPs, an oil-water interface, a small permanent magnet and a microfluidic channel to separate and purify captured nucleic acids from lysate in less than one minute, circumventing the need for multiple washing steps and greatly simplifying and expediting the purification procedure. Our device was able to isolate influenza RNA from clinical nasopharyngeal swab samples with high efficiency when compared to the Ambion® MagMAXTM Viral RNA Isolation Kit, sufficiently separating nucleic acid analytes from PCR-inhibiting contaminants within the lysate while also critically maintaining high integrity of the viral genome.

Microfluidic Sample Preparation for Medical Diagnostics.

Fast and reliable diagnoses are invaluable in clinical care. Samples (e.g.