ORCID Profile
0000-0003-1113-6264
Current Organisation
Griffith University
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Additive manufacturing | Manufacturing engineering | Microfluidics and nanofluidics | Mechanical Engineering | Microtechnology | Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) | Composite and hybrid materials
Medical Instruments | Expanding Knowledge in Engineering | Expanding Knowledge in Technology |
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2021
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 04-01-2016
Abstract: Plasma is a host of various analytes such as proteins, metabolites, circulating nucleic acids (CNAs), pathogens. The key process of plasma extraction is to eliminate the contamination from blood cells. Conventional methods, such as centrifugation and membrane filtration, are generally lab-intensive, time consuming and even dangerous. In this study, we report an integrated microfluidic device that combines inertial microfluidics and membrane filter. The integrated microfluidic device was evaluated by the diluted (x1/10, x1/20) whole blood, and the quality of the extracted blood plasma was tested. It was found that quality of extracted blood plasma from integrated device was equivalent to that obtained by the centrifugation. This study demonstrates a significant progress towards the practical application of inertial microfluidics with membrane filter for high-throughput and high efficient blood plasma extraction.
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 07-2015
DOI: 10.1063/1.4927494
Abstract: In this paper, 3D particle focusing in a straight channel with asymmetrical expansion–contraction cavity arrays (ECCA channel) is achieved by exploiting the dean-flow-coupled elasto-inertial effects. First, the mechanism of particle focusing in both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids was introduced. Then particle focusing was demonstrated experimentally in this channel with Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids using three different sized particles (3.2 μm, 4.8 μm, and 13 μm), respectively. Also, the effects of dean flow (or secondary flow) induced by expansion–contraction cavity arrays were highlighted by comparing the particle distributions in a single straight rectangular channel with that in the ECCA channel. Finally, the influences of flow rates and distances from the inlet on focusing performance in the ECCA channel were studied. The results show that in the ECCA channel particles are focused on the cavity side in Newtonian fluid due to the synthesis effects of inertial and dean-drag force, whereas the particles are focused on the opposite cavity side in non-Newtonian fluid due to the addition of viscoelastic force. Compared with the focusing performance in Newtonian fluid, the particles are more easily and better focused in non-Newtonian fluid. Besides, the Dean flow in visco-elastic fluid in the ECCA channel improves the particle focusing performance compared with that in a straight channel. A further advantage is three-dimensional (3D) particle focusing that in non-Newtonian fluid is realized according to the lateral side view of the channel while only two-dimensional (2D) particle focusing can be achieved in Newtonian fluid. Conclusively, this novel Dean-flow-coupled elasto-inertial microfluidic device could offer a continuous, sheathless, and high throughput (& 000 s−1) 3D focusing performance, which may be valuable in various applications from high speed flow cytometry to cell counting, sorting, and analysis.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-09-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 31-03-2014
DOI: 10.1038/SREP04527
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-01-2017
DOI: 10.1038/SREP41153
Abstract: Sheathless particle focusing which utilises the secondary flow with a high throughput has great potential for use in microfluidic applications. In this work, an innovative particle focusing method was proposed. This method makes use of a mechanism that takes advantage of secondary flow and inertial migration. The device was a straight channel with arrays of arc-shaped grooves on the top surface. First, the mechanism and expected focusing phenomenon are explained using numerical simulation of the flow field and force balance. A simulation of particle trajectories was conducted as a reference, and then a series of experiments was designed and the effects of changes in particle size, flow rate and quantity of the groove structure were discussed. The microscopic images show that this particle focusing method performed well for different size particles, and the results agreed well with the theory and simulated results. Finally, the channel successfully concentrated Jurkat cells, which showed a good compatibility in the biological assay field. In this work, the arc-shaped groove channel was demonstrated to have the ability to achieve high-throughput, sheathless and three-dimensional particle focusing with simple operations.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2016
Abstract: In this work, particle lateral migration in s le-sheath flow of viscoelastic fluid and Newtonian fluid was experimentally investigated. The 4.8-μm micro-particles were dispersed in a polyethylene oxide (PEO) viscoelastic solution, and then the solution was injected into a straight rectangular channel with a deionised (DI) water Newtonian sheath flow. Micro-particles suspended in PEO solution migrated laterally to a DI water stream, but migration in the opposite direction from a DI water stream to a PEO solution stream or from one DI water stream to another DI water stream could not be achieved. The lateral migration of particles depends on the viscoelastic properties of the s le fluids. Furthermore, the effects of channel length, flow rate, and PEO concentration were studied. By using viscoelastic s le flow and Newtonian sheath flow, a selective particle lateral migration can be achieved in a simple straight channel, without any external force fields. This particle lateral migration technique could be potentially used in solution exchange fields such as automated cell staining and washing in microfluidic platforms, and holds numerous biomedical applications.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 24-07-2013
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 09-04-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2023
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-10-2017
Abstract: Microfluidics, which is classified as either active or passive, is capable of separating cells of interest from a complex and heterogeneous s le. Active methods utilise external fields such as electric, magnetic, acoustic, and optical to drive cells for separation, while passive methods utilise channel structures, intrinsic hydrodynamic forces, and steric hindrances to manipulate cells. However, when processing complex biological s les such as whole blood with rare cells, separation with a single module microfluidic device is difficult. Hybrid microfluidics is an emerging technique, which utilises active and passive methods whilst fulfilling higher requirements for stable performance, versatility, and convenience, including (i) the ability to process multi-target cells, (ii) enhanced ability for multiplexed separation, (iii) higher sensitivity, and (iv) tunability for a wider operational range. This review introduces the fundamental physics and typical formats for subclasses of hybrid microfluidic devices based on their different physical fields presents current ex les of cell sorting to highlight the advantage and usefulness of hybrid microfluidics on biomedicine, and then discusses the challenges and perspective of future development and the promising direction of research in this field.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-05-2014
DOI: 10.1038/SREP05060
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2014
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 21-11-2016
DOI: 10.1063/1.4968835
Abstract: The separation of target objects conjugated with magnetic particles is a significant application in biomedicine and clinical diagnosis. Conventional magnetophoresis-based devices use a sheath flow to pre-focus the particles into a single stream and typically operate at a low flow rate. We demonstrate in this work a high-throughput, sheathless, magnetophoretic separation of magnetic and non-magnetic beads in a groove-based channel, and also report on an interesting phenomenon where the same magnetic beads in the same microchannel, but with different setups, has a different particle tracing a binary mixture of magnetic and non-magnetic beads in a diluted ferrofluid, is then fed into the channel. These magnetic beads are focused near the centreline of the channel by exploiting positive magnetophoresis and microvortices generated by grooves, whereas the non-magnetic beads are focused along the sidewalls of the channel by negative magnetophoresis and hydrophoresis. These magnetic and non-magnetic beads are separated in a wide range of flow rates (up to 80 μl min−1).
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOPHA.2019.109117
Abstract: Ischemic stroke is significantly affected by the dysfunction of the miRNA network. Recent research has described that disordered expression of miR-130a is associated with ischemic stroke. Here, we aimed to investigate the possible mechanism of the miR-130a-mediated neuroprotection that follows ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study was comprised of two models: oxygen-glucose deprivation/Reperfusion (OGDR) and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). RT-PCR and immunoblotting were used to examine gene expression levels, and MTT assay and flow cytometric analysis were used to examine cell states. We also used 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining to assess the cerebral infarct volume. Then, we employed bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay to identify and validate the target molecule of miR-130a, PTEN. Our findings indicated that miR-130a expression was lower in PC12 cells after OGDR (oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion) and in rats after MCAO (middle cerebral artery occlusion). Moreover, ectopic-expression of miR-130a can significantly improve cell survival rate and reduce cell apoptosis and ROS production in PC12 cells after OGDR. In addition, re-expression of miR-130a yielded an obvious reduction in MCAO-induced infarct volume and neurological deficits in rats. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that PTEN was a miR-130a target and could overturn the effect of miR-130a on cerebral ischemia, both in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, we set out to further investigate the PTEN-affected PI3K/AKT pathway and found that upregulation of miR-130a activated the PI3K/AKT pathway. Our data demonstrated that miR-130a prevented cerebral I/R damage by mediating the PTEN/PI3K/AKT axis. These preliminarily findings furthered our understanding of this mechanism and identified new potential therapeutic targets for ischemic stroke.
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 11-2014
DOI: 10.1063/1.4903761
Abstract: Microfluidic diagnostic devices often require handling particles or cells with different sizes. In this investigation, a tunable hydrophoretic device was developed which consists of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) slab with hydrophoretic channel, a PDMS diaphragm with pressure channel, and a glass slide. The height of the hydrophoretic channel can be tuned simply and reliably by deforming the elastomeric diaphragm with pressure applied on the pressure channel. This operation allows the device to have a large operating range where different particles and complex biological s les can be processed. The focusing performance of this device was tested using blood cells that varied in shape and size. The hydrophoretic channel had a large cross section which enabled a throughput capability for cell focusing of ∼15 000 cells s−1, which was more than the conventional hydrophoretic focusing and dielectrophoresis (DEP)-active hydrophoretic methods. This tunable hydrophoretic focuser can potentially be integrated into advanced lab-on-a-chip bioanalysis devices.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1039/D0LC01120G
Abstract: Nonlinear microfluidics, including the typical devices, their working mechanisms and applications are discussed.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-02-2019
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 05-2019
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 07-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-09-2021
Abstract: Microfluidic particle focusing has been a vital prerequisite step in s le preparation for downstream particle separation, counting, detection, or analysis, and has attracted broad applications in biomedical and chemical areas. Besides all the active and passive focusing methods in Newtonian fluids, particle focusing in viscoelastic fluids has been attracting increasing interest because of its advantages induced by intrinsic fluid property. However, to achieve a well‐defined focusing position, there is a need to extend channel lengths when focusing micrometer‐sized or sub‐microsized particles, which would result in the size increase of the microfluidic devices. This work investigated the sheathless viscoelastic focusing of particles and cells in a zigzag microfluidic channel. Benefit from the zigzag structure of the channel, the channel length and the footprint of the device can be reduced without sacrificing the focusing performance. In this work, the viscoelastic focusing, including the focusing of 10 μm polystyrene particles, 5 μm polystyrene particles, 5 μm magnetic particles, white blood cells (WBCs), red blood cells (RBCs), and cancer cells, were all demonstrated. Moreover, magnetophoretic separation of magnetic and nonmagnetic particles after viscoelastic pre‐focusing was shown. This focusing technique has the potential to be used in a range of biomedical applications.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1039/C6LC00713A
Abstract: Blood and blood products are critical components of health care.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1039/D1LC00869B
Abstract: We reviewed the state-of-the-art field of multiphysics microfluidics, in which multiple functional physical processes are combined in a microfluidic platform, examining the different formats of cascaded connections and physical coupling.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 23-01-2019
DOI: 10.1021/ACS.ANALCHEM.8B05712
Abstract: Focusing and separation of particles such as cells at high throughput is extremely attractive for biomedical applications. Particle manipulation based on inertial effects requires a high flow speed and thus is well-suited to high-throughput applications. Recently, inertial focusing and separation using curvilinear microchannels has been attracting a great amount of interest because of the linear structure for parallelization, small device footprint, superior particle-focusing performance, and easy implementation of particle separation. However, the curvature directions of these microchannels alternate, leading to variations in both the magnitude and direction of the induced secondary flow. Accumulation of this variation along the channel causes unpredictable behaviors of particles. This paper systematically investigates the inertial-focusing phenomenon in low-aspect-ratio symmetric sinusoidal channels. First, we comprehensively studied the effects of parameters such as viscosity, flow conditions, particle size, and geometric dimensions of the microchannel on differential particle focusing. We found that particle inertial focusing is generally independent of fluid kinematic viscosity but highly dependent on particle size, flow conditions, and channel dimensions. Next, we derived an explicit scaling factor and included all four dimensionless parameters (particle-blockage ratio, curvature ratio, Dean number, and channel aspect ratio) in a single operational map to illustrate the particle-focusing patterns. Finally, we proposed a rational guideline to intuitively instruct the design of channel dimensions for separation of a given particle mixture.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 2023
Abstract: Inertial microfluidics uses the intrinsic fluid inertia in confined channels to manipulate the particles and cells in a simple, high-throughput, and precise manner. Inertial focusing in a straight channel results in several equilibrium positions within the cross sections. Introducing channel curvature and adjusting the cross-sectional aspect ratio and shape can modify inertial focusing positions and can reduce the number of equilibrium positions. In this work, we introduce an innovative way to adjust the inertial focusing and reduce equilibrium positions by embedding asymmetrical obstacle microstructures. We demonstrated that asymmetrical concave obstacles could break the symmetry of original inertial focusing positions, resulting in unilateral focusing. In addition, we characterized the influence of obstacle size and 3 asymmetrical obstacle patterns on unilateral inertial focusing. Finally, we applied differential unilateral focusing on the separation of 10- and 15-μm particles and isolation of brain cancer cells (U87MG) from white blood cells (WBCs), respectively. The results indicated an excellent cancer cell recovery of 96.4% and WBC rejection ratio of 98.81%. After single processing, the purity of the cancer cells was dramatically enhanced from 1.01% to 90.13%, with an 89.24-fold enrichment. We believe that embedding asymmetric concave micro-obstacles is a new strategy to achieve unilateral inertial focusing and separation in curved channels.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1039/C6LC01007E
Abstract: We proposed and developed a novel viscoelastic ferrofluid, and demonstrated its superior advantages for continuous sheathless separation of nonmagnetic particles.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 24-08-2016
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1039/C8LC00047F
Abstract: In this work, we proposed an amalgamation-assisted lithography technique using liquid metal alloys for the fabrication of complex channels with a simple fabrication process, room-temperature fabrication and low toxicity.
Publisher: Impact Journals, LLC
Date: 08-09-2020
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1039/C6RA25328H
Abstract: Sheathless particle focusing and separation in viscoelastic fluid is demonstrated using an integrated ECCA (straight channel section with asymmetrical expansion–contraction cavity arrays) straight channel.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1039/C6LC00843G
Abstract: By exploiting the Dean-flow-coupled elasto-inertial effects, continuous, sheathless, and high purity plasma extraction under viscoelastic fluid in a straight channel with asymmetrical expansion–contraction cavity arrays (ECCA channel) is demonstrated.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-11-2020
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1039/D2LC00197G
Abstract: This work proposed to tune particle inertial separation in sinusoidal channels by embedding periodic obstacle microstructures and developed a cascaded inertial microfluidic device for the high-efficiency isolation of rare cells.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-03-2023
DOI: 10.1186/S12951-023-01846-X
Abstract: The advancement of microfluidics has enabled numerous discoveries and technologies in life sciences. However, due to the lack of industry standards and configurability, the design and fabrication of microfluidic devices require highly skilled technicians. The ersity of microfluidic devices discourages biologists and chemists from applying this technique in their laboratories. Modular microfluidics, which integrates the standardized microfluidic modules into a whole, complex platform, brings the capability of configurability to conventional microfluidics. The exciting features, including portability, on-site deployability, and high customization motivate us to review the state-of-the-art modular microfluidics and discuss future perspectives. In this review, we first introduce the working mechanisms of the basic microfluidic modules and evaluate their feasibility as modular microfluidic components. Next, we explain the connection approaches among these microfluidic modules, and summarize the advantages of modular microfluidics over integrated microfluidics in biological applications. Finally, we discuss the challenge and future perspectives of modular microfluidics.
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2021
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 13-01-2023
DOI: 10.3390/BIOS13010136
Abstract: The human gut is responsible for food digestion and absorption. Recently, growing evidence has shown its vital role in the proper functioning of other organs. Advances in microfluidic technologies have made a significant impact on the biomedical field. Specifically, organ-on-a-chip technology (OoC), which has become a popular substitute for animal models, is capable of imitating complex systems in vitro and has been used to study pathology and pharmacology. Over the past decade, reviews published focused more on the applications and prospects of gut-on-a-chip (GOC) technology, but the challenges and solutions to these limitations were often overlooked. In this review, we cover the physiology of the human gut and review the engineering approaches of GOC. Fundamentals of GOC models including materials and fabrication, cell types, stimuli and gut microbiota are thoroughly reviewed. We discuss the present GOC model applications, challenges, possible solutions and prospects for the GOC models and technology.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1039/C7LC01076A
Abstract: In this review, we discuss the up-to-date progress of particle migration in viscoelastic fluids mainly from the aspect of applications, laying out a comprehensive perspective on their potential in future lab-on-a-chip platforms.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 25-10-2017
DOI: 10.3390/MI8110315
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 12-2017
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1039/D1LC00082A
Abstract: We present a stretchable inertial microfluidic device for tuneable separation of spiked cancer cells from blood s le.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-08-2018
DOI: 10.1111/GBI.12304
Abstract: Eighteen microfossil morphotypes from two distinct facies of black chert from a deep-water setting of the c. 2.4 Ga Turee Creek Group, Western Australia, are reported here. A primarily in situ, deep-water benthic community preserved in nodular black chert occurs as a tangled network of a variety of long filamentous microfossils, unicells of one size distribution and fine filamentous rosettes, together with relatively large spherical aggregates of cells interpreted as in-fallen, likely planktonic, forms. Bedded black cherts, in contrast, preserve microfossils primarily within, but also between, rounded clasts of organic material that are coated by thin, convoluted carbonaceous films interpreted as preserved extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Microfossils preserved within the clasts include a wide range of unicells, both much smaller and larger than those in the nodular black chert, along with relatively short, often degraded filaments, four types of star-shaped rosettes and umbrella-like rosettes. Large, complexly branching filamentous microfossils are found between the clasts. The grainstone clasts in the bedded black chert are interpreted as transported from shallower water, and the contained microfossils thus likely represent a phototrophic community. Combined, the two black chert facies provide a snapshot of a microbial ecosystem spanning shallow to deeper-water environments, and an insight into the ersity of life present during the rise in atmospheric oxygen. The preserved microfossils include two new, distinct morphologies previously unknown from the geological record, as well as a number of microfossils from the bedded black chert that are morphologically similar to-but 400-500 Ma older than-type specimens from the c. 1.88 Ga Gunflint Iron Formation. Thus, the Turee Creek Group microfossil assemblage creates a substantial reference point in the sparse fossil record of the earliest Paleoproterozoic and demonstrates that microbial life ersified quite rapidly after the end of the Archean.
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 12-2017
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 31-10-2022
DOI: 10.3390/MI13111877
Abstract: We investigated experimentally, analytically, and numerically the formation process of double emulsion formations under a dripping regime in a tri-axial co-flow capillary device. The results show that mismatches of core and shell droplets under a given flow condition can be captured both experimentally and numerically. We propose a semi-analytical model using the match ratio between the pinch-off length of the shell droplet and the product of the core growth rate and its pinch-off time. The mismatch issue can be avoided if the match ratio is lower than unity. We considered a model with the wall effect to predict the size of the matched double emulsion. The model shows slight deviations with experimental data if the Reynolds number of the continuous phase is lower than 0.06 but asymptotically approaches good agreement if the Reynolds number increases from 0.06 to 0.14. The numerical simulation generally agrees with the experiments under various flow conditions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-12-2019
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 11-07-2022
DOI: 10.3390/BIOS12070510
Abstract: Separation and detection of cells and particles in a suspension are essential for various applications, including biomedical investigations and clinical diagnostics. Microfluidics realizes the miniaturization of analytical devices by controlling the motion of a small volume of fluids in microchannels and microchambers. Accordingly, microfluidic devices have been widely used in particle/cell manipulation processes. Different microfluidic methods for particle separation include dielectrophoretic, magnetic, optical, acoustic, hydrodynamic, and chemical techniques. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a method for manipulating polarizable particles’ trajectories in non-uniform electric fields using unique dielectric characteristics. It provides several advantages for dealing with neutral bioparticles owing to its sensitivity, selectivity, and noninvasive nature. This review provides a detailed study on the signal-based DEP methods that use the applied signal parameters, including frequency, litude, phase, and shape for cell article separation and manipulation. Rather than employing complex channels or time-consuming fabrication procedures, these methods realize sorting and detecting the cells articles by modifying the signal parameters while using a relatively simple device. In addition, these methods can significantly impact clinical diagnostics by making low-cost and rapid separation possible. We conclude the review by discussing the technical and biological challenges of DEP techniques and providing future perspectives in this field.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 28-04-2020
DOI: 10.3390/MI11050461
Abstract: Inertial microfluidic technology, which can manipulate the target particle entirely relying on the microchannel characteristic geometry and intrinsic hydrodynamic effect, has attracted great attention due to its fascinating advantages of high throughput, simplicity, high resolution and low cost. As a passive microfluidic technology, inertial microfluidics can precisely focus, separate, mix or trap target particles in a continuous and high-flow-speed manner without any extra external force field. Therefore, it is promising and has great potential for a wide range of industrial, biomedical and clinical applications. In the regime of inertial microfluidics, particle migration due to inertial effects forms multiple equilibrium positions in straight channels. However, this is not promising for particle detection and separation. Secondary flow, which is a relatively minor flow perpendicular to the primary flow, may reduce the number of equilibrium positions as well as modify the location of particles focusing within channel cross sections by applying an additional hydrodynamic drag. For secondary flow, the pattern and magnitude can be controlled by the well-designed channel structure, such as curvature or disturbance obstacle. The magnitude and form of generated secondary flow are greatly dependent on the disturbing microstructure. Therefore, many inventive and delicate applications of secondary flow in inertial microfluidics have been reported. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the usage of the secondary flow in inertial microfluidics.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1039/D1NH00679G
Abstract: This paper reports a stretchable microfluidic cell trapper for the on-demand release of particles and cells in a deterministic manner. The size of particles to be trapped and released can be tuned by stretching the device.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 08-01-2014
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 16-08-2023
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 16-12-2019
DOI: 10.3390/MI10120883
Abstract: The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a robust technique used to make multiple copies of a segment of DNA. However, the available PCR platforms require elaborate and time-consuming operations or costly instruments, hindering their application. Herein, we introduce a sandwiched glass–polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)–glass microchip containing an array of reactors for the real-time PCR-based detection of multiple waterborne bacteria. The PCR solution was loaded into the array of reactors in a single step utilising capillary filling, eliminating the need for pumps, valves, and liquid handling instruments. Issues of generating and trapping bubbles during the loading chip step were addressed by creating smooth internal reactor surfaces. Triton X-100 was used to enhance PCR compatibility in the chip by minimising the nonspecific adsorption of enzymes. A custom-made real-time PCR instrument was also fabricated to provide thermal cycling to the array chip. The microfluidic device was successfully demonstrated for microbial faecal source tracking (MST) in water.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 11-2016
DOI: 10.3390/MI7110195
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-01-2018
Abstract: Proteinuria is an established risk marker for progressive renal function loss and patients would significantly benefit from a point-of-care testing. Although extensive work has been done to develop the microfluidic devices for the detection of urinary protein, they need the complicated operation and bulky peripherals. Here, we present a rapid, maskless 3D prototyping for fabrication of capillary fluidic circuits using laser engraving. The capillary circuits can be fabricated in a short amount of time (<10 min) without the requirements of clean-room facilities and photomasks. The advanced capillary components (e.g., trigger valves, retention valves and retention bursting valves) were fabricated, enabling the sequential liquid delivery and s le-reagent mixing. With the integration of smartphone-based detection platform, the microfluidic device can quantify the urinary protein via a colorimetric analysis. By eliminating the bulky and expensive equipment, this smartphone-based detection platform is portable for on-site quantitative detection.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 06-08-2020
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 12-2017
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 18-06-2014
DOI: 10.1039/C4LC00343H
Abstract: Plasma is a complex substance that contains proteins and circulating nucleic acids and viruses that can be utilised for clinical diagnostics, albeit a precise analysis depends on the plasma being totally free of cells. We proposed the use of a dielectrophoresis (DEP)-active hydrophoretic method to isolate plasma from blood in a high-throughput manner. This microfluidic device consists of anisotropic microstructures embedded on the top of the channel which generate lateral pressure gradients while interdigitised electrodes lay on the bottom of the channel which can push particles or cells into a higher level using a negative DEP force. Large and small particles or cells (3 μm and 10 μm particles, and red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) can be focused at the same time in our DEP-active hydrophoretic device at an appropriate flow rate and applied voltage. Based on this principle, all the blood cells were filtrated from whole blood and then the plasma was extracted with a purity of 94.2% and a yield of 16.5% at a flow rate of 10 μL min(-1). This solved the challenging problem caused by the relatively low throughput of the DEP based device. Our DEP-active hydrophoretic device is a flexible and tunable system that can control the lateral positions of particles by modulating the external voltages without redesigning and fabricating a new channel, and because it is easy to operate, it is easily compatible with other microfluidic platforms that are used for further detection.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2017
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 25-06-2020
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 09-08-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-06-2022
Abstract: Atherothrombosis, an atherosclerotic plaque disruption condition with superimposed thrombosis, is the underlying cause of cardiovascular episodes. Herein, a unique design is presented to develop a microfluidic site‐specific atherothrombosis‐on‐chip model, providing a universal platform for studying the crosstalk between blood cells and plaque components. The device consists of two interconnected microchannels, namely main and supporting channels: the former mimics the vessel geometry with different stenosis, and the latter introduces plaque components to the circulation simultaneously. The unique design allows the site‐specific introduction of plaque components in stenosed channels ranging from 0% to above 50%, resulting in thrombosis, which has not been achieved previously. The device successfully explains the correlation between vessel geometry and thrombus formation phenomenon as well as the influence of shear rate on platelet aggregation, confirming the reliability and the effectiveness of the design. The device exhibits significant sensitivity to aspirin. In therapeutic doses (50 × 10 −6 and 100 × 10 −6 m ), aspirin delays and prevents platelet adhesion, thereby reducing the thrombus area in a dose‐dependent manner. Finally, the device is effectively employed in testing the targeted binding of the RGD (arginyl‐glycyl‐aspartic acid) labeled polymeric nanoparticles on the thrombus, extending the use of the device to examine targeted drug carriers.
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 18-02-2019
DOI: 10.1063/1.5084188
Abstract: The effects of pulsating continuous-phase flow on droplet generation at a T-junction are investigated. The pulsating perturbation produced by a microfluidic oscillator is found to govern the droplet formation. In this way, the droplet size, the generation frequency, and the fluid properties become uncorrelated. Within a wide viscosity (1–60 cP) and flow rate range [Qd,max/Qd,min is on the order of O(102)] of the discrete fluid, the droplet volume increases linearly with Qd and hence can be easily tuned. Using a single perturbation source, microdroplets of largely different viscosities and volumes can be synchronously generated, facilitating subsequent precise control and manipulations such as one-to-one coalescence.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-12-2018
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 22-07-2015
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 14-02-2022
DOI: 10.3390/BIOS12020120
Abstract: Plasma extraction from blood is essential for diagnosis of many diseases. The critical process of plasma extraction requires removal of blood cells from whole blood. Fluid viscoelasticity promotes cell migration towards the central axis of flow due to differences in normal stress and physical properties of cells. We investigated the effects of altering fluid viscoelasticity on blood plasma extraction in a serpentine microchannel. Poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) was dissolved into blood to increase its viscoelasticity. The influences of PEO concentration, blood dilution, and flow rate on the performance of cell focusing were examined. We found that focusing performance can be significantly enhanced by adding PEO into blood. The optimal PEO concentration ranged from 100 to 200 ppm with respect to effective blood cell focusing. An optimal flow rate from 1 to 15 µL/min was determined, at least for our experimental setup. Given less than 1% haemolysis was detected at the outlets in all experimental combinations, the proposed microfluidic methodology appears suitable for applications sensitive to haemocompatibility.
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 19-10-2017
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2022
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2023
DOI: 10.1039/D2LC00793B
Abstract: This paper comprehensively studies the latest progress in microfluidic technology for submicron and nanoparticle manipulation by elaborating on the physics, device design, working mechanism and applications of microfluidic technologies.
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 05-2016
DOI: 10.1063/1.4949770
Abstract: While neurons and glial cells both play significant roles in the development and therapy of schizophrenia, their specific contributions are difficult to differentiate because the methods used to separate neurons and glial cells are ineffective and inefficient. In this study, we reported a high-throughput microfluidic platform based on the inertial microfluidic technique to rapidly and continuously separate neurons and glial cells from dissected brain tissues. The optimal working condition for an inertial biochip was investigated and evaluated by measuring its separation under different flow rates. Purified and enriched neurons in a primary neuron culture were verified by confocal immunofluorescence imaging, and neurons performed neurite growth after separation, indicating the feasibility and biocompatibility of an inertial separation. Phencyclidine disturbed the neuroplasticity and neuron metabolism in the separated and the unseparated neurons, with no significant difference. Apart from isolating the neurons, purified and enriched viable glial cells were collected simultaneously. This work demonstrates that an inertial microchip can provide a label-free, high throughput, and harmless tool to separate neurological primary cells.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 17-08-2017
DOI: 10.1021/ACS.ANALCHEM.7B02671
Abstract: This work investigates the on-chip washing process of microparticles and cells using coflow configuration of viscoelastic fluid and Newtonian fluid in a straight microchannel. By adding a small amount of biocompatible polymers into the particle medium or cell culture medium, the induced viscoelasticity can push particles and cells laterally from their original medium to the coflow Newtonian medium. This behavior can be used for particle or cell washing. First, we demonstrated on-chip particle washing by the size-dependent migration speed using coflow of viscoelastic fluid and Newtonian fluid. The critical particle size for efficient particle washing was determined. Second, we demonstrated continuous on-chip washing of Jurkat cells using coflow of viscoelastic fluid and Newtonian fluid. The lateral migration process of Jurkat cells along the channel length was investigated. In addition, the cell washing quality was verified by hemocytometry and flow cytometry with a recovery rate as high as 92.8%. Scanning spectrophotometric measurements of the media from the two inlets and the two outlets demonstrated that diffusion of the coflow was negligible, indicating efficient cell washing from culture medium to phosphate-buffered saline medium. This technique may be a safer, simpler, cheaper, and more efficient alternative to the tedious conventional centrifugation methods and may open up a wide range of biomedical applications.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 29-11-2019
DOI: 10.3390/MI10120830
Abstract: Miniaturization has been the driving force of scientific and technological advances over recent decades. Recently, flexibility has gained significant interest, particularly in miniaturization approaches for biomedical devices, wearable sensing technologies, and drug delivery. Flexible microfluidics is an emerging area that impacts upon a range of research areas including chemistry, electronics, biology, and medicine. Various materials with flexibility and stretchability have been used in flexible microfluidics. Flexible microchannels allow for strong fluid-structure interactions. Thus, they behave in a different way from rigid microchannels with fluid passing through them. This unique behaviour introduces new characteristics that can be deployed in microfluidic applications and functions such as valving, pumping, mixing, and separation. To date, a specialised review of flexible microfluidics that considers both the fundamentals and applications is missing in the literature. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary including: (i) Materials used for fabrication of flexible microfluidics, (ii) basics and roles of flexibility on microfluidic functions, (iii) applications of flexible microfluidics in wearable electronics and biology, and (iv) future perspectives of flexible microfluidics. The review provides researchers and engineers with an extensive and updated understanding of the principles and applications of flexible microfluidics.
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 29-09-2022
DOI: 10.21203/RS.3.RS-2110258/V1
Abstract: We investigated experimentally, analytically and numerically the formation process of double emulsion formations under dripping regime in a tri-axial co-flow capillary device. The results show that mismatches of core and shell droplets under a given flow condition can be captured both experimentally and numerically. We propose a semi-analytical model using the match ratio between the pinch-off length of the shell droplet and the product of the core growth rate and its pinch-off time. The mismatch issue can be avoided if the match ratio is lower than unity. We considered a model with the wall effect to predict the size of the matched double emulsion. The model shows slight deviations with experimental data if the Reynolds number of continuous phase is lower than 0.06, but asymptotically approaches to good agreement if the Reynolds number increases from 0.06 to 0.14. The numerical simulation generally agrees with the experiments under various flow conditions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-12-2013
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-12-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-06-2019
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 18-07-2014
DOI: 10.1039/C4RA06513A
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-12-2014
Abstract: This work explores dielectrophoresis (DEP)-active hydrophoresis in sorting particles and cells. The device consists of prefocusing region and sorting region with great potential to be integrated into advanced lab-on-a-chip bioanalysis devices. Particles or cells can be focused in the prefocusing region and then sorted in the sorting region. The DEP-active hydrophoretic sorting is not only based on size but also on dielectric properties of the particles or cells of interest without any labelling. A mixture of 3 and 10 μm particles were sorted and collected from corresponding outlets with high separation efficiency. According to the different dielectric properties of viable and nonviable Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells at the medium conductivity of 0.03 S/m, the viable CHO cells were focused well and sorted from cell s le with a high purity.
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 23-02-2017
DOI: 10.1115/1.4035588
Abstract: Plasma is a host of numerous analytes such as proteins, metabolites, circulating nucleic acids (CNAs), and pathogens, and it contains massive information about the functioning of the whole body, which is of great importance for the clinical diagnosis. Plasma needs to be completely cell-free for effective detection of these analytes. The key process of plasma extraction is to eliminate the contamination from blood cells. Centrifugation, a golden standard method for blood separation, is generally lab-intensive, time consuming, and even dangerous to some extent, and needs to be operated by well-trained staffs. Membrane filtration can filter cells very effectively according to its pore size, but it is prone to clogging by dense particle concentration and suffers from limited capacity of filtration. Frequent rinse is lab-intensive and undesirable. In this work, we proposed and fabricated an integrated microfluidic device that combined particle inertial focusing and membrane filter for high efficient blood plasma separation. The integrated microfluidic device was evaluated by the diluted (×1/10, ×1/20) whole blood, and the quality of the extracted blood plasma was measured and compared with that from the standard centrifugation. We found that the quality of the extracted blood plasma from the proposed device can be equivalent to that from the standard centrifugation. This study demonstrates a significant progress toward the practical application of inertial microfluidics with membrane filter for high-throughput and highly efficient blood plasma extraction.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-06-2016
DOI: 10.1007/S10544-016-0078-7
Abstract: Focusing and ordering of micro- or nanoparticles is an essential ability in microfluidic platforms for bio-s le processing. Hydrophoresis is an effective method utilising hydrodynamic force to focus microparticles, but it is limited by the fixed operational range and the lack of flexibility. Here, we report a work to tune and improve the dynamic range of hydrophoresis device using magnetophoresis. In this work, a novel approach was presented to fabricate the lateral fluidic ports, which allow the flipped chip to remain stable on the stage of microscope. Diamagnetic polystyrene microparticles suspended in a ferrofluidic medium were repelled to the lower level of the channel by negative magnetophoretic force, and then interact with grooves of microchannel to obtain an excellent hydrophoretic ordering. The effects of (i) flow rate, (ii) particle size, (iii) magnetic susceptibility of the medium, and (iv) number of magnets on the particle focusing efficiency were also reported. As the proposed magnetophorsis-assisted hydrophoretic device is tuneable and simple, it holds great potential to be integrated with other microfluidic components to form an integrated s le-to-answer system.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1039/C9LC00482C
Abstract: Microalgae cells have been recognized as a promising sustainable resource to meet worldwide growing demands for renewable energy, food, livestock feed, water, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and materials. In order to ensure high-efficiency and high-quality production of biomass, biofuel, or bio-based products, purification procedures prior to the storage and cultivation of the microalgae from contaminated bacteria are of great importance. The present work proposed and developed a simple, sheathless, and efficient method to separate microalgae Chlorella from bacteria Bacillus Subtilis in a straight channel using the viscoelasticity of the medium. Microalgae and bacteria migrate to different lateral positions closer to the channel centre and channel walls respectively. Fluorescent microparticles with 1 μm and 5 μm diameters were first used to mimic the behaviours of bacteria and microalgae to optimize the separating conditions. Subsequently, size-based separation in Newtonian fluid and in viscoelastic fluid in straight channels with different aspect ratios was compared and demonstrated. Under the optimal condition, the removal ratio for 1 μm microparticles and separation efficiency for 5 μm particles can reach up to 98.28% and 93.85% respectively. For bacteria and microalgae cells separation, the removal ratio for bacteria and separation efficiency for microalgae cells is 92.69% and 100% respectively. This work demonstrated the continuous and sheathless separation of microalgae from bacteria for the first time by viscoelastic microfluidics. This technique can also be applied as an efficient and user-friendly method to separate mammalian cells or other kinds of cells.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1039/C4RA13075H
Abstract: In this work, we explored the possibility of combining dielectrophoresis (DEP) and inertial focusing in a fully coupled manner and proposed a new concept, which is called DEP-inertial microfluidics. A vertical DEP force is used to tune the inertial focusing pattern and position in three dimensions.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 2023
Abstract: There are so many non-Newtonian fluids in our daily life, such as milk, blood, cytoplasm, and mucus, most of which are viscoelastic heterogeneous liquid containing cells, inorganic ion, metabolites, and hormones. In microfluidic microparticle-manipulating applications, the target particles are practically distributed within the biological fluids like blood and urine. The viscoelasticity of biological fluid is constantly ignored for simplicity especially when the fluid is substantially diluted and contains rather complex components. However, even the fluid’s ultraweak viscoelasticity actually affects the microparticle migration and may bring a completely different behavior compared with the Newtonian fluids. As a result, a robust and easy operated on-chip viscoelasticity sensor is potential and desired in many research and industrial fields, including assay s le preparation, clinical diagnostics, and on-chip sensor. In this work, we employed stable non-Newtonian fluid–polyethylene oxide (PEO) solutions with various concentrations to investigate and calibrate effects of the weak fluidic viscoelasticity on microparticle behaviors in a double-layered microfluidic channel. An analogy-based database of fluidic patterns for viscoelasticity sensing and relaxation time measurement was established. Then, we tested different biological fluids including blood plasma and fetal bovine serum and proved that they exhibited similar viscoelasticity effects to the PEO solutions with the corresponding concentration, which reached a good agreement with available results by references. The detection limitation of relaxation time can reach 1 ms. It promised a robust and integrated on-chip microfluidic viscoelasticity sensor for different biological fluids without complicated calculations.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2023
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1039/C5LC01159K
Abstract: We provide a comprehensive review describing the fundamental mechanisms of inertial microfluidics, structure design and applications in biology, medicine and industry.
Publisher: SPIE
Date: 26-01-2016
DOI: 10.1117/12.2211265
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 17-01-2018
DOI: 10.1021/ACS.ANALCHEM.7B03756
Abstract: High-throughput, high-precision single-stream focusing of microparticles has a potentially wide range of applications in biochemical analysis and clinical diagnosis. In this work, we develop a sheathless three-dimensional (3D) particle-focusing method in a single-layer microchannel. This novel microchannel consists of periodic high-aspect-ratio curved channels and straight channels. The proposed method takes advantage of both the curved channels, which induce Dean flow to promote particle migration, and straight channels, which suppress the remaining stirring effects of Dean flow to stabilize the achieved particle focusing. The 3D particle focusing is demonstrated experimentally, and the mechanism is analyzed theoretically. The effects of flow rate, particle size, and cycle number on the focusing performance were also investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that polystyrene particles with diameters of 5-20 μm can be focused into a 3D single file within seven channel cycles, with the focusing accuracy up to 98.5% and focusing rate up to 98.97%. The focusing throughput could reach up to ∼10
Start Date: 2021
End Date: 2021
Funder: Menzies Health Institute Queensland
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2021
End Date: 2023
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2019
End Date: 2021
Funder: Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2021
End Date: 12-2024
Amount: $420,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2023
End Date: 12-2023
Amount: $731,584.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity