BioScript: programming safe chemistry on laboratories-on-a-chip

This paper introduces BioScript, a domain-specific language (DSL) for programmable biochemistry which executes on emerging microfluidic platforms. The goal of this research is to provide a simple, intuitive, and type-safe DSL that is accessible to life science practitioners. The novel feature of the language is its syntax, which aims to optimize human readability; the technical contributions of the paper include the BioScript type system and relevant portions of its compiler. The type system ensures that certain types of errors, specific to biochemistry, do not occur, including the interaction of chemicals that may be unsafe. The compiler includes novel optimizations that place biochemical operations to execute concurrently on a spatial 2D array platform on the granularity of a control flow graph, as opposed to individual basic blocks. Results are obtained using both a cycle-accurate microfluidic simulator and a software interface to a real-world platform

Directed Placement for mVLSI Devices

Continuous-flow microfluidic devices based on integrated channel networks are becoming increasingly prevalent in research in the biological sciences. At present, these devices are physically laid out by hand by domain experts who understand both the underlying technology and the biological functions that will execute on fabricated devices. The lack of a design science that is specific to microfluidic technology creates a substantial barrier to entry. To address this concern, this article introduces Directed Placement, a physical design algorithm that leverages the natural "directedness" in most modern microfluidic designs: fluid enters at designated inputs, flows through a linear or tree-based network of channels and fluidic components, and exits the device at dedicated outputs. Directed placement creates physical layouts that share many principle similarities to those created by domain experts. Directed placement allows components to be placed closer to their neighbors compared to existing layout algorithms based on planar graph embedding or simulated annealing, leading to an average reduction in laid-out fluid channel length of 91% while improving area utilization by 8% on average. Directed placement is compatible with both passive and active microfluidic devices and is compatible with a variety of mainstream manufacturing technologies

Frontiers in microfluidics, a teaching resource review

This is a literature teaching resource review for biologically inspired microfluidics courses or exploring the diverse applications of microfluidics. The structure is around key papers and model organisms. While courses gradually change over time, a focus remains on understanding how microfluidics has developed as well as what it can and cannot do for researchers. As a primary starting point, we cover micro-fluid mechanics principles and microfabrication of devices. A variety of applications are discussed using model prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms from the set of bacteria (Escherichia coli), trypanosomes (Trypanosoma brucei), yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), slime molds (Physarum polycephalum), worms (Caenorhabditis elegans), flies (Drosophila melangoster), plants (Arabidopsis thaliana), and mouse immune cells (Mus musculus). Other engineering and biochemical methods discussed include biomimetics, organ on a chip, inkjet, droplet microfluidics, biotic games, and diagnostics. While we have not yet reached the end-all lab on a chip, microfluidics can still be used effectively for specific applications

The Role of Micro fluidic Systems in Biological and Medical Sciences

Micro fluidics is a young discipline. During its beginning, it was mainly an academic field in where researchers study the behavior of fluids at micro scale and how it can be modified with operative and experimental variables. Then, the focus was placed on studying device fabrication process and how to optimize them to lower costs and time, and to enhance system features. After a period of maturation, micro fluidic researchers began to evaluate system usefulness and the possibility of use them in different areas. Micro fluidics became a multidisciplinary field combining concepts of biological and medical sciences and engineering. Diagnostic test, micro particles fabrications, contaminant detection, and medical analyses were first goals. Then, its uses expanded exponentially to other areas opening a world of possibilities. With the advances in miniaturization and material sciences as well as the boom in micro and nanotechnology, manufacturing process became highly precise. New applications in biochemistry, biotechnology, biology and medical sciences were appearing attracting the interest of the industrial sector. Since then, projects are aimed to develop micro fluidic systems with industrial applications. The present contribution describes the characteristics of the three major type of micro fluidic systems, chip-based, capillary-based and paper-based systems. Advantages and limitations of each one are mentioned. In addition, their most important applications in biological and medical sciences are presented.Fil: Helbling, Ignacio Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico Para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico Para la Industria Química; ArgentinaFil: Luna, Julio Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico Para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico Para la Industria Química; Argentin

Microchips and their significance in isolation of circulating tumor cells and monitoring of cancers

In micro-fluid systems, fluids are injected into extremely narrow polymer channels in small amounts such as micro-, nano-, or pico-liter scales. These channels themselves are embedded on tiny chips. Various specialized structures in the chips including pumps, valves, and channels allow the chips to accept different types of fluids to be entered the channel and along with flowing through the channels, exert their effects in the framework of different reactions. The chips are generally crystal, silicon, or elastomer in texture. These highly organized structures are equipped with discharging channels through which products as well as wastes of the reactions are secreted out. A particular advantage regarding the use of fluids in micro-scales over macro-scales lies in the fact that these fluids are much better processed in the chips when they applied as micro-scales. When the laboratory is miniaturized as a microchip and solutions are injected on a micro-scale, this combination makes a specialized construction referred to as "lab-on-chip". Taken together, micro-fluids are among the novel technologies which further than declining the costs; enhancing the test repeatability, sensitivity, accuracy, and speed; are emerged as widespread technology in laboratory diagnosis. They can be utilized for monitoring a wide spectrum of biological disorders including different types of cancers. When these microchips are used for cancer monitoring, circulatory tumor cells play a fundamental role