Welcome to SBS 2011 - SLAS

Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center | March 27–31, 2011 | Orlando, Florida, USA
Micro- and Nanofluidic Devices: Acquiring Chemical and
Biochemical Information Quickly From Small Quantities of Material
Michael Ramsey, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
The first demonstration of micromachined devices that emulate the functions of laboratory chemical instrumentation, i.e., the
silicon gas chromatograph (GC), is now over three decades old. Due largely to the modest performance of these early devices,
further developments in MEMS-based chemical instrumentation were slow to materialize. Microfabricated fluidic devices
that accomplished chemical measurement strategies were first reported in the early 1990s and have several demonstrated
advantages over conventional approaches. Our laboratory has been involved in developing microfabricated fluidic devices for
nearly two decades. Our more recent efforts have included the development of two-dimensional separation systems coupled
to integrated electrospray ionization emitters for proteomic analyses and devices for clinical diagnostic assays that perform flow
cytometry or antigenic protein assays. We have also been interested in shrinking fabricated fluidic structure to the nanoscale for
characterization of individual molecules. One application of such nanofluidic technologies is the rapid sequencing of individual
DNA molecules to address health care issues such as personalized medicine. Additionally, we have been investigating the
prospects of miniaturizing mass spectrometry for applications ranging from environmental monitoring to clinical diagnostic
applications. An overview of our activities in these areas will be presented.
Enhanced Information From Microtiter Plate Screening
by Scanning Wells Integrated Into Microfluidic Devices
Dana M. Spence, Michigan State University
Measurements based on 96-well microtiter plate technology are a key component in many discovery-based endeavors.
An important feature of this technology is the standardization of the dimensions of the plate that enable automated handling
of the plate itself, fluid delivery and removal from the wells on the plate, and the detection schemes used to monitor analytes
of interest in the wells. Collectively, these features contribute to the overall high throughput screening and measurements that
are performed with the microtiter plate. Our group, however, believes that the information obtained during the measurement or
screening portion of the analysis could be improved by integration of multiple cell types, including those in the bloodstream, into a
single device. Therefore, in this presentation, information will be provided describing our new microfluidic-based trans-endothelial
resistance measurement for cell layer integrity and growth. Next, using biotechnological advances in microfluidics, data will be
presented that was obtained by pumping red cells underneath the endothelial cells and measuring various cell to cell signaling
events that occurred. Examples of the utility of this device will be shown, including our ability to elucidate possible mechanisms of
action of certain approved drugs and possible drug candidates. Moreover, data will also be shown demonstrating how this device
can contribute to improving other biomedical areas of interest, including some recent developments from our lab involving stored
blood banking.
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