A lab-on-a-chip system for the development of complex assays using modular microfluidic components

Hlawatsch, Nadine; Klemm, Richard A.; Carstens, Cornelia; Brandstëtter, Thomas; Becker, Holger; Elbracht, Rudi; Gärtner, Claudia

doi:10.1117/12.910269

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…It was designed to be a part of a multi-component microfluidic platform, where each system is connected to others via a "plug and play" approach. Even though custom-made connections can be developed [22], the approach chosen in this work was aimed at developing a platform compatible with connection with external analytical devices and integration in the "plug and play" platform. Therefore, commercial finger tight fittings (such as, HPLC-type connectors) and standard tubing were used.…”

Section: Design Of a Platform For Sensor Integrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multi-function microfluidic platform for sensor integration

Fernandes

Semenova

Panjan³

et al. 2018

New Biotechnology

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The limited availability of metabolite-specific sensors for continuous sampling and monitoring is one of the main bottlenecks contributing to failures in bioprocess development. Furthermore, only a limited number of approaches exist to connect currently available measurement systems with high throughput reactor units. This is especially relevant in the biocatalyst screening and characterization stage of process development. In this work, a strategy for sensor integration in microfluidic platforms is demonstrated, to address the need for rapid, cost-effective and high-throughput screening in bioprocesses. This platform is compatible with different sensor formats by enabling their replacement and was built in order to be highly flexible and thus suitable for a wide range of applications. Moreover, this re-usable platform can easily be connected to analytical equipment, such as HPLC, laboratory scale reactors or other microfluidic chips through the use of standardized fittings. In addition, the developed platform includes a two-sensor system interspersed with a mixing channel, which allows the detection of samples that might be outside the first sensor's range of detection, through dilution of the sample solution up to 10 times. In order to highlight the features of the proposed platform, inline monitoring of glucose levels is presented and discussed. Glucose was chosen due to its importance in biotechnology as a relevant substrate. The platform demonstrated continuous measurement of substrate solutions for up to 12 h. Furthermore, the influence of the fluid velocity on substrate diffusion was observed, indicating the need for in-flow calibration to achieve a good quantitative output.

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Section: Design Of a Platform For Sensor Integrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Standardizing both the microfluidic design and the connectors enables an easy integration with other chips or equipment, as well as chip modification for different applications [21]. The connection to external devices also depends on the type of sample used [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-function microfluidic platform for sensor integration

Fernandes

Semenova

Panjan³

et al. 2018

New Biotechnology

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“…For microfluidic modules composed of thermoplastics, the microfluidic structures can be formed by pressing the polymer into a precisely defined solid mold after heating the polymer beyond the vitrification temperature. Common techniques for thermoplastic polymer chip fabrication include injection molding, hot embossing, and laminating [72], which can, of course, also be used in fabricating microfluidic assembly blocks [73,74]. In thermoplastic molding, the mold or template can be prepared by subtractive manufacturing methods such as RIE and micro-milling.…”

Section: Polymer Processes With Subtractive Manufactured Templatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modular Microfluidics: Current Status and Future Prospects

Lai

Yang

et al. 2022

Micromachines

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This review mainly studies the development status, limitations, and future directions of modular microfluidic systems. Microfluidic technology is an important tool platform for scientific research and plays an important role in various fields. With the continuous development of microfluidic applications, conventional monolithic microfluidic chips show more and more limitations. A modular microfluidic system is a system composed of interconnected, independent modular microfluidic chips, which are easy to use, highly customizable, and on-site deployable. In this paper, the current forms of modular microfluidic systems are classified and studied. The popular fabrication techniques for modular blocks, the major application scenarios of modular microfluidics, and the limitations of modular techniques are also discussed. Lastly, this review provides prospects for the future direction of modular microfluidic technologies.

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“…This often requires a re-design when a modification, addition of another function or integration with other systems or platforms is needed. In Hlawatsch et al (2012) (Hlawatsch et al, 2012), different process modules, previously optimized for a target application (Gartner and Becker, 2008), were left separated and used in series ("plug-and-play") in order to provide more flexibility in terms of application of the final microfluidic setup. For each application, different modules or the same modules, but in a different order, can be used.…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Connecting worlds – a view on microfluidics for a wider application”

Fernandes

Gernaey

Krühne

2018

Biotechnology Advances

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From its birth, microfluidics has been referenced as a revolutionary technology and the solution to long standing technological and sociological issues, such as detection of dilute compounds and personalized healthcare. Microfluidics has for example been envisioned as: (1) being capable of miniaturizing industrial production plants, thereby increasing their automation and operational safety at low cost; (2) being able to identify rare diseases by running bioanalytics directly on the patient's skin; (3) allowing health diagnostics in point-of-care sites through cheap lab-on-a-chip devices. However, the current state of microfluidics, although technologically advanced, has so far failed to reach the originally promised widespread use. In this paper, some of the aspects are identified and discussed that have prevented microfluidics from reaching its full potential, especially in the chemical engineering and biotechnology fields, focusing mainly on the specialization on a single target of most microfluidic devices and offering a perspective on the alternate, multi-use, "plug and play" approach. Increasing the flexibility of microfluidic platforms, by increasing their compatibility with different substrates, reactions and operation conditions, and other microfluidic systems is indeed of surmount importance and current academic and industrial approaches to modular microfluidics are presented. Furthermore, two views on the commercialization of plug-and-play microfluidics systems, leading towards improved acceptance and more widespread use, are introduced. A brief review of the main materials and fabrication strategies used in these fields, is also presented. Finally, a step-wise guide towards the development of microfluidic systems is introduced with special focus on the integration of sensors in microfluidics. The proposed guidelines are then applied for the development of two different example platforms, and to three examples taken from literature. With this work, we aim to provide an interesting perspective on the field of microfluidics when applied to chemical engineering and biotechnology studies, as well as to contribute with potential solutions to some of its current challenges.

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A lab-on-a-chip system for the development of complex assays using modular microfluidic components

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Multi-function microfluidic platform for sensor integration

Multi-function microfluidic platform for sensor integration

Modular Microfluidics: Current Status and Future Prospects

“Connecting worlds – a view on microfluidics for a wider application”

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