High-throughput cell-based assays require small sam pie volumes to reduce assay costs and to allow for rapid sample manipulation. However, further miniaturization of conventional microtiter plate technology is problematic due to evaporation and capillary action. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a two-phase microfluidic platform in which human cells and multicellular organisms can be cultivated for several days in aqueous microcomparments separated by an inert perfluorocarbon carrier oil. Furthermore, we focused on the automated generation of chemically-dictinct microcompartment to exploit the technology for screening purposes. ln particular, we interfaced an autosampler with our microfluidic platform sequentially loading compounds from microtiter plates into a length of tubing. Ali compounds are loaded in form of aqueous plugs (nanoliter volumes) separated by fluorinated oil. The resulting array of plugs can be split into multiple small volume copies which can be used as replicates for the same assay as weil as for different assays. Moreover, each array of plugs can be injected into a microfluidic chip for further manipulation. Since the order of the compounds and thus their identity is known throughout the whole screening procedure, the system does not require direct compound labelling. Furthermore, each individual plug can be monitored over time, thus allowing the recording of kinetic data. In the last part of the work we focussed on the development of a novel assay coupling a positive fluorescence signal with the inhibition of viral transduction. This should ultimately allow the screening of antivirals in the previously developed microfluidic systems.

Microfluidics for Pharmaceutical Applications: From Nano/Micro Systems Fabrication to Controlled Drug Delivery is a concept-orientated reference that features case studies on utilizing microfluidics for drug delivery applications. It is a valuable learning reference on microfluidics for drug delivery applications and assists practitioners developing novel drug delivery platforms using microfluidics. It explores advances in microfluidics for drug delivery applications from different perspectives, covering device fabrication, fluid dynamics, cutting-edge microfluidic technology in the global drug delivery industry, lab-on-chip nano/micro fabrication and drug encapsulation, cell encapsulation and delivery, and cell- drug interaction screening. These microfluidic platforms have revolutionized the drug delivery field, but also show great potential for industrial applications. - Presents detailed coverage on the fabrication of novel drug delivery systems with desired characteristics, such as uniform size, Janus particles, and particular or combined responsiveness - Includes a variety of case studies that explain principles - Focuses on commercialization, cost, safety, society and educational issues of microfluidic applications, showing how microfluidics is used in the real world

A microfluidic biochip is an engineered fluidic device that controls the flow of analytes, thereby enabling a variety of useful applications. According to recent studies, the fields that are best set to benefit from the microfluidics technology, also known as lab-on-chip technology, include forensic identification, clinical chemistry, point-of-care (PoC) diagnostics, and drug discovery. The growth in such fields has significantly amplified the impact of microfluidics technology, whose market value is forecast to grow from $4 billion in 2017 to $13.2 billion by 2023. The rapid evolution of lab-on-chip technologies opens up opportunities for new biological or chemical science areas that can be directly facilitated by sensor-based microfluidics control. For example, the digital microfluidics-based ePlex system from GenMarkDx enables automated disease diagnosis and can bring syndromic testing near patients everywhere. However, as the applications of molecular biology grow, the adoption of microfluidics in many applications has not grown at the same pace, despite the concerted effort of microfluidic systems engineers. Recent studies suggest that state-of-the-art design techniques for microfluidics have two major drawbacks that need to be addressed appropriately: (1) current lab-on-chip systems were only optimized as auxiliary components and are only suitable for sample-limited analyses; therefore, their capabilities may not cope with the requirements of contemporary molecular biology applications; (2) the integrity of these automated lab-on-chip systems and their biochemical operations are still an open question since no protection schemes were developed against adversarial contamination or result-manipulation attacks. Optimization of Trustworthy Biomolecular Quantitative Analysis Using Cyber-Physical Microfluidic Platforms provides solutions to these challenges by introducing a new design flow based on the realistic modeling of contemporary molecular biology protocols. It also presents a microfluidic security flow that provides a high-level of confidence in the integrity of such protocols. In summary, this book creates a new research field as it bridges the technical skills gap between microfluidic systems and molecular biology protocols but it is viewed from the perspective of an electronic/systems engineer.

This volume presents the proceedings of the 7th International Conference on the Development of Biomedical Engineering in Vietnam which was held from June 27-29, 2018 in Ho Chi Minh City. The volume reflects the progress of Biomedical Engineering and discusses problems and solutions. It aims to identify new challenges, and shaping future directions for research in biomedical engineering fields including medical instrumentation, bioinformatics, biomechanics, medical imaging, drug delivery therapy, regenerative medicine and entrepreneurship in medical devices.

This detailed volume explores recent developments in microfluidics technologies for cancer diagnosis and monitoring. The book is divided into two sections that delve into techniques for liquid biopsy for cancer diagnosis and platforms for precision oncology or personalized medicine in order to create effective patient avatars for testing anti-cancer drugs. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step and readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Microfluidic Systems for Cancer Diagnosis serves as an ideal guide that will be helpful to either replicate the construction of microfluidic devices specifically developed for cancer diagnosis or to catalyze development of new and better cancer diagnostic devices.