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Applied Sciences
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Microfluidics in Biomedical Engineering
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Microfluidics in Biomedical Engineering

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2024) | Viewed by 21426

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Muthukumaran Packirisamy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Optical-Bio Microsystems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, CONCORDIA University, EV4-149, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada
Interests: optical bioMEMS; MEMS for power applications; microphotonics; integration of microsystems and micro-nano integration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microfluidic systems, lab-on-chip (LOC), and micro total analysis systems (mTAS) are making remarkable contributions to the biomedical field by closing the gaps between biology–medicine and engineering. Because of this integration, our understanding of the fundamentals of biology and medicine has increased exponentially in the past decades, resulting in the discovery of new biomarkers, single cell manipulation, body-on-chips, diagnostic micro-biosensors, bio-sensitized nanomaterials and device platforms, microphotonics, etc. Our goal here is to highlight and comprehend the role played by microfluidics in the recent biomedical advancements. Researchers addressing biomedical problems through microfluidics are welcome to submit their works for consideration. Microfluidics for bio applications also involve the integration of many elements, such as microfluidics, microphotonics, nanomaterials and structures, and various actuation and sensing mechanisms. This Special Issue will address challenges involved with modeling, fabrication, integration, and application-specific issues when microfluidics are designed for bio applications.

Prof. Dr. Muthukumaran Packirisamy
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Bio diagnosis and prognosis
  • BioMEMS
  • Biosensors
  • Cellular analysis and characterization
  • Lab on chip
  • Organ-on-Chip
  • Body-on-Chip
  • Microfluidics
  • Micromachining/microfabrication/nanofabrication
  • Micro–nano integration
  • Microphotonics
  • Microreactors
  • Microvesicles
  • Modeling and verification
  • Monolithic and hybrid integration
  • Nano-bio integrations

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 7899 KiB  
Article
Microfabrication Bonding Process Optimization for a 3D Multi-Layer PDMS Suspended Microfluidics
by Mostapha Marzban, Ehsan Yazdanpanah Moghadam, Javad Dargahi and Muthukumaran Packirisamy
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 4626; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12094626 - 04 May 2022
Viewed by 2004
Abstract
Microfluidic systems have received increased attention due to their wide variety of applications, from chemical sensing to biological detection to medical analysis. Microfluidics used to be fabricated by using etching techniques that required cleanroom and aggressive chemicals. However, another microfluidic fabrication technique, namely, [...] Read more.
Microfluidic systems have received increased attention due to their wide variety of applications, from chemical sensing to biological detection to medical analysis. Microfluidics used to be fabricated by using etching techniques that required cleanroom and aggressive chemicals. However, another microfluidic fabrication technique, namely, soft lithography, is less expensive and safer compared to former techniques. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been widely employed as a fabrication material in microfluidics by using soft lithography as it is transparent, soft, bio-compatible, and inexpensive. In this study, a 3D multi-layer PDMS suspended microfluidics fabrication process using soft lithography is presented, along with its manufacturing issues that may deteriorate or compromise the microsystem’s test results. The main issues considered here are bonding strength and trapped air-bubbles, specifically in multi-layer PDMS microfluidics. In this paper, these two issues have been considered and resolved by optimizing curing temperature and air-vent channel integration to a microfluidic platform. Finally, the suspended microfluidic system has been tested in various experiments to prove its sensitivity to different fluids and flow rates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics in Biomedical Engineering)
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14 pages, 1958 KiB  
Article
Fibrinogen and Fibrin Differentially Regulate the Local Hydrodynamic Environment in Neutrophil–Tumor Cell–Endothelial Cell Adhesion System
by Yi Fu, Ang Li, Jie Wu, Robert F. Kunz, Ren Sun, Zurong Ding, Jianhua Wu and Cheng Dong
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(1), 79; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11010079 - 24 Dec 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3906
Abstract
As cancer is one of the major fatal diseases for human beings worldwide, the metastasis of tumor cells (TCs) from a blood vessel to an adjacent organ has become a focus of research. A tumor metastasis theory named the “two-step theory” pointed out [...] Read more.
As cancer is one of the major fatal diseases for human beings worldwide, the metastasis of tumor cells (TCs) from a blood vessel to an adjacent organ has become a focus of research. A tumor metastasis theory named the “two-step theory” pointed out that polymorphnuclear neutrophils (PMNs) could facilitate TC adhesion on an endothelial monolayer under flow, which was regulated by shear flow and promoted by fibrinogen and fibrin. In order to further understand the role of hydrodynamics played in the “two-step theory”, we improved our side-view micro-particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) system and successfully measured the flow velocity profiles around adherent PMNs and TCs on an endothelial monolayer in the presence of soluble fibrinogen or fibrin under shear flow. Combined with a computational fluid dynamics simulation, we found that: (1) soluble fibrinogen and fibrin influenced the variations of relative shear rates above an adhered PMN and an adherent TC at different PMN-to-TC position states; (2) compared with soluble fibrinogen, soluble fibrin made the curves of relative shear rates above an adherent cell flatter. Soluble fibrin might increase the collision frequency and affect the contact time and contact area between PMNs, TCs, and endothelium cells, resulting in the enhancement of TC adhesion and retention on an endothelial monolayer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics in Biomedical Engineering)
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14 pages, 2885 KiB  
Article
Microfluidic Quantification of Blood Pressure and Compliance Properties Using Velocity Fields under Periodic On–Off Blood Flows
by Yang Jun Kang
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(15), 5273; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10155273 - 30 Jul 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2165
Abstract
To monitor variations of blood samples effectively, it is required to quantify static and dynamic properties simultaneously. With previous approaches, the viscosity and elasticity of blood samples are obtained for static and transient flows with two syringe pumps. In this study, simultaneous measurement [...] Read more.
To monitor variations of blood samples effectively, it is required to quantify static and dynamic properties simultaneously. With previous approaches, the viscosity and elasticity of blood samples are obtained for static and transient flows with two syringe pumps. In this study, simultaneous measurement of pressure and equivalent compliance is suggested by analyzing the velocity fields of blood flows, where a blood sample is delivered in a periodic on-off fashion with a single syringe pump. The microfluidic device is composed of a main channel (mc) for quantifying the equivalent compliance and a pressure channel (pc) for measuring the blood pressure. Based on the mathematical relation, blood pressure at junction (Px) is expressed as Px = kβ. Here, β is calculated by integrating the averaged velocity in the pressure channel (<Upc>). The equivalent compliance (Ceq) is then quantified as Ceq = λoff · Q0/Px with a discrete fluidic model. The time constant (λoff ) is obtained from the transient behavior of the averaged blood velocity in the main channel (<Umc>). According to results, Px and Ceq varied considerably with respect to the hematocrit and flow rate. The present method (i.e., blood pressure, compliance) shows a strong correlation with the previous method (i.e., blood viscosity, elasticity). In conclusion, the present method can be considered as a potential tool for monitoring the mechanical properties of blood samples supplied periodically from a single syringe pump. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics in Biomedical Engineering)
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17 pages, 4695 KiB  
Article
PDMS-Based Microdevices for the Capture of MicroRNA Biomarkers
by Lorenzo Lunelli, Federica Barbaresco, Giorgio Scordo, Cristina Potrich, Lia Vanzetti, Simone Luigi Marasso, Matteo Cocuzza, Candido Fabrizio Pirri and Cecilia Pederzolli
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(11), 3867; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10113867 - 02 Jun 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2869
Abstract
The isolation and analysis of circulating biomarkers, the main concern of liquid biopsy, could greatly benefit from microfluidics. Microfluidics has indeed the huge potentiality to bring liquid biopsy into the clinical practice. Here, two polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microdevices are presented as valid tools for [...] Read more.
The isolation and analysis of circulating biomarkers, the main concern of liquid biopsy, could greatly benefit from microfluidics. Microfluidics has indeed the huge potentiality to bring liquid biopsy into the clinical practice. Here, two polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microdevices are presented as valid tools for capturing microRNAs biomarkers from clinically-relevant samples. After an extensive study of functionalized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) properties in adsorbing/eluting microRNAs, the best conditions were transferred to the microdevices, which were thoroughly characterized. The channels morphology and chemical composition were measured, and parameters for the automation of measures were setup. The best working conditions were then used with microdevices, which were proven to capture microRNAs on all channel surfaces. Finally, microfluidic devices were successfully validated via real-time PCR for the detection of a pool of microRNAs related to non-small cell lung cancer, selected as proof-of-principle. The microfluidic approach described here will allow a step forward towards the realization of an efficient microdevice, possibly automated and integrated into a microfluidic lab-on-a-chip with high analytical potentialities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics in Biomedical Engineering)
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14 pages, 6056 KiB  
Article
Effects of Laser Fluence and Pulse Overlap on Machining of Microchannels in Alumina Ceramics Using an Nd:YAG Laser
by Muneer Khan Mohammed, Usama Umer, Osama Abdulhameed and Hisham Alkhalefah
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(19), 3962; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9193962 - 20 Sep 2019
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3050
Abstract
The quality of micro-features in various technologies is mostly affected by the choice of the micro-fabrication technique, which in turn results in several limitations with regard to materials, productivity, and cost. Laser beam micro-machining has a distinct edge over other non-traditional methods in [...] Read more.
The quality of micro-features in various technologies is mostly affected by the choice of the micro-fabrication technique, which in turn results in several limitations with regard to materials, productivity, and cost. Laser beam micro-machining has a distinct edge over other non-traditional methods in terms of material choices, precision, shape complexity, and surface integrity. This study investigates the effect of laser fluence and pulse overlap while developing microchannels in alumina ceramic using an neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser. Microchannels 200 µm wide with different depths were machined using different laser peak fluence and pulse overlap (percentage of overlap between successive laser pulses) values. It was found that high pulse overlaps and fluences should be avoided as they give rise to V-shaped microchannels i.e., 100% bottom width errors. The optimal peak fluence range was found to be around 125–130 J/cm2 corresponding to 3–5 µm depth per scan. In addition, channels fabricated with moderate pulse overlap were found to be of good quality compared to low pulse overlaps. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics in Biomedical Engineering)
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9 pages, 2435 KiB  
Article
Electrowetting on Dielectric (EWOD) Device with Dimple Structures for Highly Accurate Droplet Manipulation
by Katsuo Mogi, Shungo Adachi, Naoki Takada, Tomoya Inoue and Tohru Natsume
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(12), 2406; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9122406 - 13 Jun 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5921
Abstract
Digital microfluidics based on electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) devices has potential as a fundamental technology for the accurate preparation of dangerous reagents, the high-speed dispensing of rapidly deteriorating reagents, and the fine adjustment of expensive reagents, such as the preparation of for positron [...] Read more.
Digital microfluidics based on electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) devices has potential as a fundamental technology for the accurate preparation of dangerous reagents, the high-speed dispensing of rapidly deteriorating reagents, and the fine adjustment of expensive reagents, such as the preparation of for positron emission tomography (PET). To allow single substrate type EWODs to be practically used in an automatic operation system, we developed a dimple structure as a key technique for a highly accurate droplet manipulation method. The three-dimensional shape of the dimple structure is embossed onto a disposable thin sheet. In this study, we confirmed that the dimple structure can suppress unintended droplet motion caused by unidentified factors. In addition, the stability of the droplets on the dimple structures was evaluated using a sliding experiment. On a flat substrate, the success rate of a droplet motion was lower than 70.8%, but on the dimple structure, the droplets were able to be moved along the dimple structures correctly without unintended motion caused by several environmental conditions. These results indicated that the dimple structure increased the controllability of the droplets. Hence, the dimple structure will contribute to the practical application of digital microfluidics based on single substrate type EWODs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics in Biomedical Engineering)
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