Exploring Applications for Digital Microfluidics in the Realm of Medical Diagnostics and Environmental Sampling

Exploring Applications For Digital Microfluidics In The Realm Of Medical Diagnostics And Environmental Sampling

Carmen Gondhalekar and Branden Kusanto

Sandia National Laboratories and Oregon State University

Abstract:

The study of digital microfluidic technology is an emerging field in which scientists use a substrate patterned with electrodes and electrostatic forces to manipulate micro-sized volumes of solution and perform experiments in vitro. Droplet manipulation through the use of remote controlled devices allow for automated DMF systems which require little or no human handling. This technology has multiple implementations which can prove beneficial in occasions, such as emergency response, where portable low-cost point-of-care systems are needed to conduct assays to detect harmful agents. Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore California is implementing DMF technology in nuclear radiation detection and disease diagnostics. We worked together with a team of Sandia engineers and biologists to explore four different functions of Sandia’s DMF system in the fields of radiation detection, disease biomarker detection, and viral RNA extraction from blood.