Microfluidic Devices for Biosensing

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "B:Biology and Biomedicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2020) | Viewed by 18553

Special Issue Editors

Department of Life Sciences, Medical Devices Group International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Avda Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal
Interests: medical devices; microfluidics; droplet microfluidics; plasmonics; SERS; personalized medicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We cordially invite you to submit a paper to this Special Issue of Micromachines entitled "Microfluidic Devices for Biosensing".

The field of microfluidics can be quite broad, with multiple aplications of the science and technology behind it. However, no matter the application, they all share the need for manipulating micro to picoliters of fluids. This has been particularly important for the field of sensors, and more specifically for biosensors and biodetection, which have taken microfluidics as an essential component to the developments towards lab-on-a-chip, point-of-care (POC), and organ-on-a-chip concepts.

This Special Issue aims to cover all aspects of fabrication of microfluidic-based devices, using all sorts of technologies, from conventional PDMS or paper-based devices to more modern additive manufacturing technologies for their application in biosensing. This Special Issue is particularly focused on applications in biodetection and biosensors but also on related areas for the development of a new generation of microfluidic devices such as valves, cryogeny, micro and nanodroplets generation, computing, etc.

Dr. Hugo Aguas
Dr. Sara Abalde-Cela
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Microfluidics
  • Nanofluidics
  • Droplet microfluidics
  • Nanodroplet generator
  • PDMS
  • Lab-on-a-chip
  • 3D printing
  • Paper microfluidics
  • Valves
  • Cryogeny
  • Sensors
  • Biosensors
  • DNA
  • Cells

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3340 KiB  
Article
Microfluidic Chamber Design for Controlled Droplet Expansion and Coalescence
by Mark Kielpinski, Oliver Walther, Jialan Cao, Thomas Henkel, J. Michael Köhler and G. Alexander Groß
Micromachines 2020, 11(4), 394; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11040394 - 10 Apr 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2604
Abstract
The defined formation and expansion of droplets are essential operations for droplet-based screening assays. The volumetric expansion of droplets causes a dilution of the ingredients. Dilution is required for the generation of concentration graduation which is mandatory for many different assay protocols. Here, [...] Read more.
The defined formation and expansion of droplets are essential operations for droplet-based screening assays. The volumetric expansion of droplets causes a dilution of the ingredients. Dilution is required for the generation of concentration graduation which is mandatory for many different assay protocols. Here, we describe the design of a microfluidic operation unit based on a bypassed chamber and its operation modes. The different operation modes enable the defined formation of sub-µL droplets on the one hand and the expansion of low nL to sub-µL droplets by controlled coalescence on the other. In this way the chamber acts as fluidic interface between two fluidic network parts dimensioned for different droplet volumes. Hence, channel confined droplets of about 30–40 nL from the first network part were expanded to cannel confined droplets of about 500 to about 2500 nL in the second network part. Four different operation modes were realized: (a) flow rate independent droplet formation in a self-controlled way caused by the bypassed chamber design, (b) single droplet expansion mode, (c) multiple droplet expansion mode, and (d) multiple droplet coalescence mode. The last mode was used for the automated coalescence of 12 droplets of about 40 nL volume to produce a highly ordered output sequence with individual droplet volumes of about 500 nL volume. The experimental investigation confirmed a high tolerance of the developed chamber against the variation of key parameters of the dispersed-phase like salt content, pH value and fluid viscosity. The presented fluidic chamber provides a solution for the problem of bridging different droplet volumes in a fluidic network. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Devices for Biosensing)
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16 pages, 5410 KiB  
Article
Low-Cost Microfabrication Tool Box
by Jérôme Charmet, Rui Rodrigues, Ender Yildirim, Pavan Kumar Challa, Benjamin Roberts, Robert Dallmann and Yudan Whulanza
Micromachines 2020, 11(2), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11020135 - 25 Jan 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 7855
Abstract
Microsystems are key enabling technologies, with applications found in almost every industrial field, including in vitro diagnostic, energy harvesting, automotive, telecommunication, drug screening, etc. Microsystems, such as microsensors and actuators, are typically made up of components below 1000 microns in size that can [...] Read more.
Microsystems are key enabling technologies, with applications found in almost every industrial field, including in vitro diagnostic, energy harvesting, automotive, telecommunication, drug screening, etc. Microsystems, such as microsensors and actuators, are typically made up of components below 1000 microns in size that can be manufactured at low unit cost through mass-production. Yet, their development for commercial or educational purposes has typically been limited to specialized laboratories in upper-income countries due to the initial investment costs associated with the microfabrication equipment and processes. However, recent technological advances have enabled the development of low-cost microfabrication tools. In this paper, we describe a range of low-cost approaches and equipment (below £1000), developed or adapted and implemented in our laboratories. We describe processes including photolithography, micromilling, 3D printing, xurography and screen-printing used for the microfabrication of structural and functional materials. The processes that can be used to shape a range of materials with sub-millimetre feature sizes are demonstrated here in the context of lab-on-chips, but they can be adapted for other applications. We anticipate that this paper, which will enable researchers to build a low-cost microfabrication toolbox in a wide range of settings, will spark a new interest in microsystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Devices for Biosensing)
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14 pages, 6586 KiB  
Article
Microfluidic Flow-through SPME Chip for Online Separation and MS Detection of Multiple Analyses in Complex Matrix
by Yujun Chen, Tao Gong, Cilong Yu, Xiang Qian and Xiaohao Wang
Micromachines 2020, 11(2), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11020120 - 21 Jan 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2156
Abstract
Simplifying tedious sample preparation procedures to improve analysis efficiency is a major challenge in contemporary analytical chemistry. Solid phase microextraction (SPME), a technology developed for rapid sample pretreatment, has flexibility in design, geometry, and calibration strategies, which makes it a useful tool in [...] Read more.
Simplifying tedious sample preparation procedures to improve analysis efficiency is a major challenge in contemporary analytical chemistry. Solid phase microextraction (SPME), a technology developed for rapid sample pretreatment, has flexibility in design, geometry, and calibration strategies, which makes it a useful tool in a variety of fields, especially environmental and life sciences. Therefore, it is important to study the coupling between the microfluidic electrospray ionization (ESI) chip integrated with the solid phase microextraction (SPME) module and the electrospray mass spectrometer (MS). In our previous work, we designed a solid phase microextraction (SPME) module on a microfluidic chip through geometric design. However, automation and calibration methods for the extraction process remain unresolved in the SPME on-chip domain, which will lead to faster and more accurate results. This paper discusses the necessity to design a micromixer structure that can produce different elution conditions on the microfluidic chip. By calculating the channel resistances, the microfluidic chip’s integrated module with the micromixer, SPME, and ESI emitters optimize the geometry structure. We propose the annular channel for SPME to perform the resistances balance of the entire chip. Finally, for SPME on a single chip, this work provides a quantitation calibration method to describe the distribution of the analytes between the sample and the extraction phase before reaching the adsorption equilibrium. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Devices for Biosensing)
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Review

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25 pages, 3154 KiB  
Review
Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy for Monitoring Chemoresistance of Cancer Cells
by Lexi L. Crowell, Juan S. Yakisich, Brian Aufderheide and Tayloria N. G. Adams
Micromachines 2020, 11(9), 832; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11090832 - 31 Aug 2020
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 5235
Abstract
Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is an electrokinetic method that allows for the characterization of intrinsic dielectric properties of cells. EIS has emerged in the last decade as a promising method for the characterization of cancerous cells, providing information on inductance, capacitance, and impedance [...] Read more.
Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is an electrokinetic method that allows for the characterization of intrinsic dielectric properties of cells. EIS has emerged in the last decade as a promising method for the characterization of cancerous cells, providing information on inductance, capacitance, and impedance of cells. The individual cell behavior can be quantified using its characteristic phase angle, amplitude, and frequency measurements obtained by fitting the input frequency-dependent cellular response to a resistor–capacitor circuit model. These electrical properties will provide important information about unique biomarkers related to the behavior of these cancerous cells, especially monitoring their chemoresistivity and sensitivity to chemotherapeutics. There are currently few methods to assess drug resistant cancer cells, and therefore it is difficult to identify and eliminate drug-resistant cancer cells found in static and metastatic tumors. Establishing techniques for the real-time monitoring of changes in cancer cell phenotypes is, therefore, important for understanding cancer cell dynamics and their plastic properties. EIS can be used to monitor these changes. In this review, we will cover the theory behind EIS, other impedance techniques, and how EIS can be used to monitor cell behavior and phenotype changes within cancerous cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Devices for Biosensing)
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