Seminar 19th April 2016 1 p.m. 35/1005
Acoustic Holograms to Shape Microfluidic Flows: Applications in Medical Diagnostics
Professor Johnatan Cooper
University of Glasgow
- Categories
- Acoustics, Biomechanics, Biomedical, COMSOL, Flow Control, Fluent, IfLS, Medicine, MEMS, Microbiology, Nanoscale Assemblies, Wave propagation
- Submitter
- Dario Carugo
Professor Cooper's group has demonstrated that by combining phononic arrays it is possible to produce complex micro-analytical systems and pioneered the use of digital microfluidics to processes real samples on chip (including blood) as well as effect selective cell lysis on-chip.
Abstract: Microfluidics and Lab-Chip technologies are synonymous with the movement of fluids on or around microstructured surfaces, including channels. Flow is often driven by peristaltic pumps or through electrokinetic flows (including electro-osmosis, for example). Recently, the use of pressure driven flow through the use of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) has attracted much attention. To better control the nature of the acoustic field when using SAWs, we have introduced the idea of using frequency dependent periodic arrays known as phononic crystals within microfludics. In doing so, we have enabled new "acoustic holograms" that result in waveguiding, reflectors, bandgaps and lenses, shaping the ultrasonic field and creating new microfludic flows. We are able to demonstrate how we can create interesting new liquid manipulations, including on-chip centrigugation, cell lysis through shear, cell separation, liquid heating and atomization. The applications of this technology are demonstrated in areas such as sample preparation and identification of malarial parasites in whole blood and the control of the size distribution of droplets during nebulization (a requirement in pulmonary drug delivery, for example).
About the Speaker: Professor Jon Cooper holds The Wolfson Chair in Biomedical Engineering. He has published ca. 230 research papers (ISI h = 44) with a further 18 books, book chapters and reviews. His major interests have been in medical diagnostics and drug delivery. He is the founder of Mode-dX (www.modedx.com), producing home diagnostics for bowel cancer, now on sale in Boots The Chemist, and of Clyde Biosciences which just received a series A venture fund to expand its products in toxicology testing into overseas markets. Most recently, he has also formed a further spin-out SAW-dX, which works closely with major industries in the fields of diagnostics, next generation sequencing and drug delivery. Jon is an EPSRC Fellow and holds an ERC Advanced Programme Grant. He has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK's national academy of engineering) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (Scotland's national academy of arts, humanities and sciences).