Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 2
Programmable Hybrid Integrated
Circuit/Microfluidic Chips
Caspar Floryan, David Issadore, and Robert M. Westervelt
Abstract
The miniaturization of laboratory functions onto microfluidic chips is
leading a paradigm shift in biotechnology, analogous to the transformation of
electronics by the integrated circuit (IC) 50 years ago. The microfabricated pipes,
pumps, valves, and mixers of microfluidics enable small volumes of reagents,
samples, and individual living cells to be controlled on low-cost, portable chips.
However, a microfluidic chip that can be programmed to perform the wide range of
chemical and biological tasks required for medical and scientific analysis, akin to a
microprocessor in electronics, remains a challenge. Here, we review work done by
our group to develop hybrid IC/microfluidic chips that can simultaneously control
thousands of living cells and picoliter volumes of fluid, enabling a wide variety of
chemical and biological tasks.
2.1
Introduction
Advances in microfluidic technologies are revolutionizing the way medicine and
biology are approached. Ever smaller samples are being manipulated and analyzed
more quickly and with greater accuracy than ever. As these performance metrics
C. Floryan
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
D. Issadore
Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
e-mail:
Issadore@seas.upenn.edu
R.M. Westervelt
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
e-mail:
westervelt@seas.harvard.edu
(
)
