Scientific Program

Day 1

Keynote Session:

09:30-10:00

Alexander Govyadinov

HP Inc, USA

Title: Inkjet microfluidic technology for printing and life science applications

Biography:

Alexander Govyadinov has over 35 years of experience in various sensing platform development in academic and R&D industrial environments, and recent 18 years works for Hewlett-Packard printing, and after the Company split for HP Inc. In Advance Technology and Product Development Organization developing novel sensing and microfluidic solutions for inkjet and other applications. He developed Light Scattering Drop Detection concept implemented in HP first page wide array printers Office jet prox series. Last decade he led development of novel concepts of microfluidic architectures enabling HP advanced inks and microfluidic components and systems for life science applications. He is co-author of multiple scientific publications and over 100 US Patents and patent applications.

Abstract:

Recently, there has been a lot of interest in microfluidic lab-on-a chip applications for life sciences, forensic, point-of-care, molecular-diagnostic, other in-vitro-diagnostic, organs- on-a-chip, environmental and other applications. Various scientific and commercial organizations explore different material sets and operational principles to forge microfluidic devices. Simultaneously, the inkjet industry is repurposing its well-developed material base and manufacturing processes for large scale fabrication of complex microfluidic systems for precision dispense, droplet manipulation and other applications. The presentation describes our recent progress in the development of a low-cost microfluidic platform utilizing the materials and processes of the commercial thermal inkjet business. The well-established microfluidic components and jetting elements are being repurposed for pumping, mixing, valving, fluid transport, sensing and other critical functions of complex integrated microfluidic systems. This presentation describes the operating principles of microfluidic elements, gives examples of their integration in functional devices and discusses the potential of the inkjet technology to deliver a broad range of microfluidic applications and lab-on-a-chip diagnostic devices.

10:00-10:30

Christophe P. Gabriel

Nanyang Technological University , Singapore

Title: Microfluidic tools for fast exploration of liquid/liquid extraction thermodynamics

Biography:

NTU Vg. Prof. JC Gabriel is Research Director at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) as well as co-director of the NTU Singapore CEA Alliance for Research in Circular Economy (SCARCE). He joined CEA in 2007 where he was CEA/LETI institute’s “Beyond CMOS” program manager. He then became deputy director of CEA’s Nanoscience program and co-principal investigator of the REE-CYCLE advanced ERC project (2013-2018), aiming to developing new rare earth extraction/recycling processes. Former student at the “École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France”, he received his Ph. D. from Orsay’s University, and his Habilitation from Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France. His career is a mixed academic – industrial one (CNRS/Nanomix Inc./CEA) in nanoscience. As such, he published 60+ papers in international peer reviewed journals and is co-inventor 50+ patents or patent applications (nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes, graphene and chemical sensors integration).

Abstract:

We will report on a newly developed liquid-liquid extraction microfluidic device integrated with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF)[1]. Our tools are aimed at studying liquid/liquid extraction processes. We will first present our studies of solvent chemical activities using FTIR spectroscopy . Using this system, we will also present unpublished results of extraction and back-extraction of rare-earth elements using synergic extractants. We perform, for the first time, on-line XRF quantification in microfluidics to monitor the extraction. This approach allowed us to quickly study the variation of free energies of transfer for the extraction and back extraction of three rare-earth elements at different temperatures. Overall, thanks to an automated approach, we show that thermodynamics and kinetics of extraction can be obtained in less than 12 hours with a resulting liquid waste of less than 20mL.

10:30-11:00

Siddhartha Das

University of Maryland, USA

Title: Will update soon

Biography:

Siddhartha Das, FRSC joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park in March, 2014. He was promoted to Associate Professorship (with tenure) in August 2019. Dr. Das received his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in 2010 in the area of theoretical microfluidics. Following his Ph.D., Dr. Das joined the Physics of Fluids Group in University of Twente, the Netherlands as a Postdoc and worked on surface nanobubbles, capillarity and soft wetting. After his stint in the Netherlands, Dr. Das went for his second Postdoc in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada. In Alberta, Dr. Das was honored with the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship, the most prestigious postdoctoral fellowship of Canada.

Abstract:

Will update soon

Sadabadi H

Wireless Fluidics Inc, Canada

Title: 3D microwave integrated absorption module for toxic gas detection

Biography:

Hamid Sadabadi is an entrepreneur and researcher in the field of Microfluidics, Lab-on-a-chip, sensors, and biosensors. He has completed his PhD in microfluidic from Concordia University in Montreal. He is recipient of 8 prestigious awards/scholarships inducing Quebec Doctoral Merit Scholarship and University of Calgary Eyes High Postdoctoral Fellowship where he did his postdoc research. He is a co-founder and principle microfluidic engineer at Wireless Fluidics, a sensing technology development start-up). His main research interests are developing biosensing technologies at Wireless Fluidics. He has published more than 12 US patents, one book chapters, and more than 16 articles in reputed journals.

Abstract:

Gas detectors attract many research interests due to their wide applications in the areas of environmental monitoring, homeland security, anti-terrorism, industrial quality control, etc. In this work, presents the development of a sensitive integrated and in-line modular platform for detection of toxic gases in a dusty environment where many microscale particles are presenting in the environment. The platform encompasses three main modules including a microfluidic system for in-line and continuous filtering of the dust from the inlet gas, an adsorption unit for toxic gas adsorption encompasses a reservoir filled with Zeolite X13 nanoparticles and a novel 3D microwave circuit for the gas detection. Gas sensing is performed using microwave resonators based on the gas adsorption-induced change in the permittivity of the adsorbent material. The proposed platform is specifically designed for harsh environment where the high humidity, high temperature and dusty and polluted air results in numerous false positive and true negative errors. Simulation study of the gas filtering (for dust removal) and microwave-resonator sensitivity study have been performed and optimized. The results showing high dust separation from the main inlet flow with performance of ~90%. Furthermore, the microwave resonator simulation results show that at 2.5 GHz, we can see a clear contrast that can be used for toxic gas detection. The presented results showing a proof-of-principal that the proposed platform as a sensitive platform for toxic gas detection.

Oral Session 1:

Micro/Nanofluidics Research and Advances | Digital microfluidics

Delamare Romain

Medincell SA, France

Title: Digital microfluidics as a tool for drug delivery and formulation screening

Biography:

Romain Delamare has completed his PhD on nanostructured materials in 2003 from Orleans University and Postdoctoral Studies from Institute of nanosciences (IM2NP) , Marseille University, France. He was the Director of Winfab (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium) , a micro-nano fabrication platform for 8 years. He is now the head scientist of the research department of Medincell. He has published more than 30 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an conference organiser of repute in the field of nanofabrication .

Abstract:

Microfluidic devices present many advantages for the development of efficient drugs as they offer rapid techniques for direct drug screening. They not only optimize resource management, but also enable massive parallelization for tests with significant economies of scale. The precise control of experimental conditions and the very low volumes involved in microfluidics solutions match the requirements of 2D and 3D cell cultures as well as organs on a chip, which is key to narrowing the bridge between in vitro and in vivo environments. Existing preclinical models are still inefficient for predicting clinical outcomes and microfluidic devices offer a more rapid and cost-effective alternative. In this review, we will highlight microfluidics microfabrication methods and knowhow exploited in the field of drug delivery. And then, we will discuss the interest of microfluidic devices for use at point of care as well as organ on a chip models as smart, sensitive, and reproducible platforms for the drug testing under bio like conditions.

Petr Solich

Charles University, Czech Republic

Title: Micro-flow analysis with monolithic columns

Biography:

Petr Solich has completed his PhD. from Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. He is the head of Department of Analytical Chemistry as well as head of University Research Centre UNCE at Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University. He has published more than 180 papers in impacted analytically oriented journals, with h-index 28 and has been also serving as an editorial board member of journal Talanta.

Abstract:

Miniaturization in flow analysis can be done by several ways, one of them is Sequential Injection Chromatography (SIC), which use monolithic columns for separation processes and presently is already becoming well-established analytical technique.

Monolithic materials proved their role both as sorbents for solid phase extraction and chromatographic separation. These methods profit from large active surface (mesopores) and highly porous structure (macropores) of the monoliths. Although available commercially, significant benefit arises from ease of their preparation in laboratory. Numerous approaches can be used for preparation of monoliths leading to materials varying in active surface, porosity, chemistries, polymer properties, and size. This flexibility results in extraction and separation sorbents including formats such as pipette tip for solid phase extraction (SPE), micro-column SPE, well-plate SPE, and HPLC analytical and capillary columns that are finding applications in manual, semi-automated, and on-line methods. Typical target samples include complex environmental and biological matrixes, as well as all kinds of inorganic and organic analytes including biomolecules. A broad range of micro-flow analysis methods have already been developed using monoliths.

Fundaments, overview, trends, and perspectives of monoliths in micro-flow analysis will be discussed. An overview of several recent applications of the use of monolithic columns in micro-flow techniques will also be pointed out.

Lei Xu

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Title: Diffusion-dominated pinch-off of ultralow surface tension fluids

Biography:

Lei Xu obtained his PhD in Physics Department of the University of Chicago in 2006, and did his postdoc in School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Harvard University from 2006 to 2009. He then joined the Physics Department of The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2009 and he is currently a Professor working in the field of soft condensed matter experiment.

Abstract:

We study the breakup of a liquid thread inside another liquid at different surface tensions. In general, the pinch-off of a liquid thread is governed by the dynamics of fluid flow. However, when the interfacial tension is ultralow (2–3 orders lower than normal liquids), we find that the pinch-off dynamics can be governed by bulk diffusion. By studying the velocity and the profile of the pinch-off, we explain why the diffusion-dominated pinch-off takes over the conventional breakup at ultralow surface tensions.

Daniel C. Corbett

CellInk, USA

Title: Thermofluidic heat exchangers for actuation of transcription in artificial tissues

Biography:

Daniel Corbett has completed his PhD at the age of 26 years from the University of Washington. He is now working as a sales representative for CellInk, The Bioink company, in the bioprinter division.

Abstract:

Spatial patterns of gene expression in living organisms orchestrate cell decisions in development, homeostasis, and disease. However, most methods for reconstructing gene patterning in 3D cell culture and artificial tissues are restricted by patterning depth and scale. We introduce a depth- and scale-flexible method to direct volumetric gene expression patterning in 3D artificial tissues, which we call “heat exchangers for actuation of transcription” (HEAT). This approach leverages fluid-based heat transfer from printed networks in the tissues to activate heat-inducible transgenes expressed by embedded cells. We show that gene expression patterning can be tuned both spatially and dynamically by varying channel network architecture, fluid temperature, fluid flow direction, and stimulation timing in a user-defined manner and maintained in vivo. We apply this approach to activate the 3D positional expression of Wnt ligands and Wnt/β-catenin pathway regulators, which are major regulators of development, homeostasis, regeneration, and cancer throughout the animal kingdom.

Farah EL MASRI

IFP Energies nouvelles, France

Title: Design and characterization of an on-chip continuous microdistillation tool.

Biography:

EL MASRI Farah is a 3rd year PhD candidate in process engineering at IFP Energies Nouvelles. She has completed her undergraduate studies in Lebanon at the Lebanese University - Faculty of Engineering specializing in Chemical and Petrochemical. During the fifth year of studies, she has done a Research Master 2 in “Catalysis and Processes" at the National Graduate School of Engineering Chemistry of Lille in France. This has been complemented by a M2 internship at IFP Energies Nouvelles over a period of 6 months. The internship mainly dealt with the treatment of catalysts. Shortly after, she began her PhD studies at IFP Energies Nouvelles in the Experimentation Intensification department. Her work involves investigating on-chip microdistillation device (design, characterization and optimization).

Abstract:

Microfluidic research has been attracting attention recently thanks to its inherent advantages (low amounts of solvent, high surface area to volume ratio, …). Reactors miniaturization is currently well-controlled, however, a wide gap exists concerning continuous microseparators (~mL/h), able to partition microreactors’ effluents, which is critical in many continuous microfluidic processes. Accordingly, the miniaturization of distillation tools turns out to be an important challenge.

The main limitation associated with on-chip continuous microdistillation development is that it cannot be based on gravity forces, which enables the gas-liquid counter-current flow in conventional columns. Indeed, at the microscale, the effect of gravity vanishes in favor of interfacial forces. Thus, alternative principles have to be considered to control the liquid phase and maintain a stable operation. So far, several works reported the interesting performances of on-chip microdistillations based on capillary¹, centrifugal² or other forces³. However, no in-depth studies were published and there is no clue on how to improve performances of such microsystems in terms of height equivalent to a theoretical plate (HETP).

In this work, we introduce a silicon-based microchip used to achieve a multistage distillation. A temperature gradient across the chip was generated by heating one end and cooling the other one (Figure 1). Products withdrawal was managed at fixed flow rates. This device has been successfully used to distill a 27mol% acetone-water mixture, producing continuously distillate and residue with acetone molar fraction of 0.81 and 0.07, respectively. This separation corresponds to a 30 mm HETP. A parametric study (feed flow rate and composition, temperature profile and withdrawal flow rates) using acetone-water mixture as a model system has been investigated to better understand the device’s key parameters.

Ajay Agarwal

CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, India

Title: Microfluidic Devices for LOC and Diagnostic Applications

Biography:

Ajay Agarwal is Senior Principal Scientist at CSIR CEERI, Pilani INDIA; involved in development of Nanotechnologies MEMS, micro fluidics and Micro-sensors. He is also Professor at Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research, New Delhi. Earlier, he served Institute of Microelectronics, Singapore. His engagement with semiconductor industries and research institutes is for over 3 decades. He has ~280 research publications in journals or international conferences, over 60 invited/ plenary/ keynote talks and over 35 patents (granted or filled). He is bestowed with various awards including 2008 NTA, Singapore; 2009 Excellence Award, IME Singapore, 2020 CSIR Technology Award (innovation), etc.

Abstract:

Innovative micro and nanoscale technologies are at the forefront of the development of numerous microfluidic sensors and lab-on-a-chips for healthcare and environmental care. Biosensor being analytical devices it provides either qualitative or quantitative results. Both have their importance. A qualitative analysis is very useful for rapid screening test applications, as today the world is looking for such devices for COVID-19 suspects. On other hand biosensors provide quantitative analysis like in care of glucose monitoring devices. The future trend of biosensors development is for point-of-care and early diagnostics requirements, mainly for glucose monitoring, infectious diseases testing, cardio-metabolic monitoring, coagulation monitoring, urinalysis, cholesterol test strips, tumour/ cancer markers analysis, pregnancy and fertility testing and many other applications.

Microfluidics plays an important role in the realization of biosensor; particularly in the sample-to-answer configurations which is common in a lab-on-a-chip realization. Fluidic channels connect the chemical reservoirs to the reaction chambers. The channels often have flow control mechanism and coatings, as per the fluids and chip requirements. Micro, nano-sensor elements also connected to microfluidic channels. Microfluidic channel itself can act as a sensing device with suitably added features.

This paper will present the design and fabrication details of a microfluidics based lab-on-a-chip device with innovative design. It has a capability to filter various particles in the fluid and to estimate their number. The challenges and their possible solutions is the realization of such a device will be elaborated. The paper will also discuss two other fluidics based devices which can be used as quick diagnostics and to control ions flow very precisely.

Jack Merrin

Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Austria

Title: Biological applications of microfluidics in cell motility and plant root growth dynamics

Biography:

Microfluidics is increasingly becoming useful in a diverse range of biological investigations of model organisms. In this presentation, I will show two examples of how microfluidics is used to study immune cells and plant roots, which cannot be accomplished by traditional methods.

Eukaryotic cells such as leukocytes are generally understood to move forward by retrograde flow of the actin cytoskeleton, which is coupled to the membrane through adhesion molecules. A new mode of locomotion is demonstrated by pressing off environmental topography even in the absence of adhesion. This is demonstrated through the use of a series of microfluidic confining geometries and video microscopy. Genetic knockouts of dendritic cells in the known pathways for surface adhesion can still move in microchannels if the walls are less than the dimensions of cells and if they differ enough from being parallel.

The plant hormone auxin is involved in a variety of developmental and physiological processes, such as plant root growth inhibition. In Arabidopsis thaliana, with the use of microfluidics, microscopy, and genetic engineering, it is revealed that the root growth rate can respond rapidly and reversibly to local auxin concentration. Since it acts faster than transcription, this suggests a new alternative pathway challenging the traditional understanding of auxin.

Abstract:

Jack Merrin has completed his PhD in physics in 2006 from Princeton University. He did postdoctoral studies at Joseph Fourier University, Rockefeller University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Since 2013 Jack has been a microfluidics staff scientist at IST Austria specializing in biological applications of microfluidics.

Domenico Caputo

Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Title: Lab-on-glass system based on thin film optoelectronic devices and thick film microfluidics

Biography:

Domenico Caputo is Associate Professor with tenure at DIET at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. His main research fields concerned the development of amorphous silicon photodetectors for detection of radiation from the UV to the near infrared range and of innovative electronic devices based on amorphous silicon. The present research interest is focused on the development of thin film photodetector and Lab-on-Chip system for DNA amplification and mycotoxin detection. He is referee of several scientific journals, author of more than 100 papers on international journals and principal investigator of national and international projects.

Abstract:

Lab-on-Chip technology is gaining great interest due to the many possibilities that it offers in the fields of life sciences, from parallel analysis in genomics to point-of-care devices in medical diagnostics. At the beginning, Lab-on-Chip devices essentially consisted of a microfluidic network that miniaturized the analytical procedures leading to faster reaction kinetics and lower sample and reagents consumption. Recent devices integrate on a single substrate several functional modules, that allow all the functions of a human-scale test laboratory including transferring samples, drawing off a precise volume of a chemical product, reagent mixing, detection and quantification of biomolecules.