Dan's Biz Bookshelf: 'Getting Naked: A Business Fable'
The Chemical Connection: Common Misconceptions in Wet Processing
It’s Only Common Sense: Selling to Engineers
Cellphone Principles Help Microfluidic Chip Digitize Information on Living Cells
April 21, 2016 | Georgia Institute of TechnologyEstimated reading time: 4 minutes
The underlying principle for the cell identification is called code division multiple access (CDMA), and it's essential for helping cellular networks separate the signals from each user. The microfluidic channels are fabricated from a plastic material using soft lithographic techniques. The electrical pattern is fabricated separately on a glass substrate, then aligned with the plastic chip
"We have created an electronic sensor without any active components," Sarioglu said. "It's just a layer of metal, cleverly patterned. The cells and the metallic layer work together to generate digital signals in the same way that cellular telephone networks keep track of each caller's identity. We are creating the equivalent of a cellphone network on a microfluidic chip."
The next step in the research will be to combine the electronic sensor with a microfluidic chip able to actively sort cells. Beyond cancer cells, bacteria and viruses, such a system could also sort and analyze inorganic particles.
The computing requirements of the system would be minimal, requiring no more than the processor power of smartphones that already handle decoding of CDMA signals. The proof-of-principle device contains just four channels, but Sarioglu believes the design could easily be scaled up to include many more channels.
"This is like putting a USB port on a microfluidic chip," he explained. "Our technique could turn all of the microfluidic manipulations that are happening on the chip into quantitative data related to diagnostic measurements.
Ultimately, the researchers hope to create inexpensive chips that could be used for sophisticated diagnostic testing in physician offices or remote locations. Chips might be contained on cartridges that would automate the testing process.
"It will be very exciting to scale this up, and I think that will open up the possibility for many different assays to become accessible electronically," Sarioglu said. "Decentralizing health care is an important trend, and our technology might one day allow many kinds of diagnostic tests to be done beyond hospitals and large medical facilities."
Page 2 of 2Share on:
Suggested Items
RTX's Collins Aerospace Enhances Capabilities to Speed Marine Corps Decision-making in Battle
04/22/2025 | RTXCollins Aerospace, an RTX business, successfully demonstrated new technology that helps the military gather and use information from a wider range of sources at Project Convergence Capstone 5, a large-scale military exercise.
IPC APEX EXPO 2025 Learning Lounge: Education on the Show Floor
04/16/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007The conference portion of IPC APEX EXPO has been providing educational opportunities for attendees since the first show. But recently, show managers decided to expand education onto the show floor.
INEMI Sustainable Electronics Tech Topic Webinar: Enabling New Life in Storage Devices
04/07/2025 | iNEMIHard disk drives (HDDs) and solid state drives (SSDs) are ubiquitous in electronic products and a large number enter the end-of-life stream prior to their true end of life.
Gartner Identifies Top 12 Early-Stage Technology Disruptions that Will Define the Future of Business Systems
04/07/2025 | Gartner, Inc.Gartner, Inc. has identified 12 emerging technology disruptions that will define the future of business systems. Technology leaders must prioritize these over the next five years, as they present competitive opportunities in the near term and will eventually grow to become standard throughout businesses.
IPC APEX EXPO 2025: We’ve Got It Covered
04/01/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamIPC APEX EXPO is the largest electronics manufacturing trade show in North America, bringing together professionals from all sectors of the supply chain to educate, network, and share their products and services. We’ve put all our coverage of the show in one easy-to-find location. Just click on “Videos,” “Show Coverage” and “Photos” to find what you’re looking for. Check back regularly as more content is added. You won’t want to miss any of our unique coverage.