University of California

Industry-University Cooperation Foundation Sogang University

Dublin City University

Other

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Luke P Lee

Jun Ho Son

Gang Logan Liu

Philip Janmin Lee

Paul J Hung

Fanqing Frank Chen

Erh-Chia Yeh

Michelle Khine

Jonathan A Ellman

John Robert Waldeisen

Jeonggi Seo

Taewook Kang

Ivan Dimov

Yeonho Choi

Younggeun Park

Nathan W Cheung

Kevin Edward Healy

Debkishore Mitra

Timothy David Sands

Antonio J Ricco

David N Breslauer

Cristian Ionescu-Zanetti

Jens Ducree

Sayantani Ghosh

Jaeyoun Kim

Peter Loskill

Gregor Kijanka

Gerardene Meade

Lourdes Basabe-Desmonts

Adrian Lau

Yu Lu

J Alex Chediak

Zhongsheng Luo

Jun Ho Sun

Sang Hun Lee

Michael Dunlap

Byungrae Cho

Anurag Mathur

Soongweon Hong

Sofia Ramstrom

Kenny Dermot

Sarah O'Neill

Asif Riaz

Benjamin M Ross

Jixiao Liu

Chi-shuo Chen

Anthony Grimes

Ajay Gopinathan

Ram Prasad Gandhiraman

Stephen Michael Daniels

Gang L Liu

An integrated molecular diagnostics system (iMDx) for the detection of Dengue Fever at point-of-care, wherein blood plasma separation for the selective separation of the Dengue virus from the whole blood, LED-driven photothermal lysis of the Dengue virus for the RNA extraction, and LED-driven rapid optical cavity PCR for the amplification of Dengue viral RNA are integrated on-chip within a single micro-fluidic device.

Integrated molecular diagnostics system (iMDx) and method for dengue fever

An LED-driven optical cavity PCR system and method providing fast, accurate and reliable PCR based diagnostics. Thermal cycling for PCR takes place in an optical cavity formed in a microfluidic channel or chamber with thin light absorbing metal films disposed on at least two opposing walls that provide uniform heating between the walls by photothermal light to heat conversion. The opposing metal films may be sized for equal light absorption from a single light source orthogonal to the two opposing films to produce an even temperature elevation between the equally heating films upon a single light exposure. Uniform temperature elevation may also be achieved with films made from two different materials.

Optical cavity PCR

Systems and methods for plasmonic heating by combined use of thin plasmonic film-based 2D and 3D structures and a light-emitting diode (LED) for nucleic acids amplification through fast thermal cycling of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are described.

LED driven plasmonic heating apparatus for nucleic acids amplification

A fluidic chip employing a vacuum void to store vacuum potential for controlled micro-fluidic pumping in conjunction with biomimetic vacuum lungs.

Vacuum battery system for portable microfluidic pumping

Methods and systems are described for improved handling and/or culturing and/or assaying of cells, chemically active beads, or similar materials in microfluidic systems and microfluidic culture arrays.

Methods and apparatus for cell culture array

An LED-driven optical cavity PCR system and method is disclosed for fast, accurate and reliable PCR based diagnostics. An optical cavity comprising two thin light absorbing metal (AU) films is used for uniform light absorption and subsequent photo thermal light-to-heat conversion is employed for PCR thermal cycling.

A simple and robust on-chip blood plasma separation device is provided. The device is configured to integrate with downstream detection modules and provides sample-to-answer microfluidic POC diagnostics devices.

Hemolysis-free blood plasma separation

A Digital Separation (DS) chip for separating, digitizing and analyzing a fluid sample is presented. The DS chip includes a fluidic layer that prepares and compartmentalizes the fluid sample for analysis. Cliff structures that are adjacent to wells skim the fluid sample and prevent particles, which may interfere with fluid sample analysis, from entering the wells. Skimmed fluid sample analysis occurs in the wells and endpoint data can be collected and used to determine an original concentration of a desired component in the fluid sample very quickly. Using the described apparatus and methods, a fluid sample can be prepared, digitized, compartmentalized, assayed and the endpoint data collected in &#x2dc;30 minutes. The apparatus and methods can easily be adapted to provide parallel processing of a sample.

Digital fluid sample separation apparatus and methods for one-step quantitative sample analysis

The present disclosure provides a microfluidics device for culturing cells, such as cardiomyocytes or cardiomyocyte progenitors; and methods of culturing cells using the device. The device and culturing methods find use in drug screening methods, for methods of evaluating a drug under development, and for methods of predicting patient response to a given treatment regimen, which methods are also provided.

Microfluidics cell culture device

The present invention relates to a method, including a diagnostic method, for characterising platelets. More particularly, the invention relates to methods for characterising platelets by immobilising platelets on a substrate for detection and subsequent characterisation, and to devices on which such a method may be practiced. The method comprises the steps of:&#x2014;a. contacting a substrate that includes a plurality of discrete platelet-binding zones having a surface area of 7850 &#x3bc;morless with a fluid composition comprising platelets; and b. detecting platelets bound to the platelet-binding zones and thereby characterising platelets.

Platelet analysis

A mobile, self contained molecular diagnostics system is provided with a microfluidic chip, detection apparatus and an integrated or wireless control interface and imager. The system provides automated sample preparation and rapid optical detection of multianalyte nucleic acids and proteins. On chip PCR may be performed to improve the optical fluorescence signal for nucleic acid detections. Plasmonic protein detection is performed using a dark field smartphone microscope. Dark field illumination is based on an evanescent field generated by LED total internal reflection. The smartphone element may also be used as an interface to control the detection apparatus, acquire images, process data and for wireless communications with remote computers. The handheld automated system has low power requirements and is particularly suited for point of care and on demand diagnostics in resource limited settings.

Mobile molecular diagnostics system with wireless communication

A point-of-test diagnostic chip that is capable of simultaneous evaluation of blood coagulation time (INR Value) and hematocrit level. A finger prick volume of blood is placed at the inlet of the device, and the residual vacuum contained within the device provides a pressure gradient to drive the flow of whole blood. The INR value is determined by the distance the blood traverses down the channel before it coagulates. The channel is primed with tissue factor and phospholipids to induce coagulation. A control channel is primed with anticoagulants for use as a way to normalize initial loading times. The hematocrit level is determined by sedimentation of blood cells into a trench and the interface between blood cells that have overfilled the trench and plasma provide a visual readout.

Self-powered blood coagulation chip for INR value and hematocrit determination

An apparatus with a self-contained, tunable, microfluidic pumping system that utilizes the high air permeability of the matrix material to actuate fluid flow in a network of fluidic microchannels and microstructures is provided. The pumping relies upon partial evacuation of degas/vacuum channels that are located next to the fluid channels to degas air from the fluid channels or structures producing a reduction of pressure in the fluidic channel leading to the flow of fluid from an inlet at atmospheric pressure through the device. The solution is isolated from the pumping apparatus since the liquid does not pass through the diffusion barriers. The apparatus and method can also provide bubble-free microfluidic pumping, without any auxiliary equipment or device pre-treatment, and can fill dead-end channels and chambers, providing a powerful liquid handling tool for a broad range of applications.

Proximal degas driven microfluidic actuation

Growing community of inventors

Orinda, CA, United States of America

Luke P Lee