Quantitative Developments of Biomolecular Databases, Measurement Methodology, and Comprehensive Transport Models for Bioanalytical Microfluidics

The goal of this project was the development of novel on-chip assay devices and modeling capabilities to enable optimized design processes and create new methods to realize robust, field-portable microfluidic devices. The team developed, validated and commercialized new multiphysics models to the Bio-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) community (over 50 organizations) through CFD-ACE+. The team further developed rapid (e.g., 1000x faster) biokinetics data extraction methods for antibody assays; and discovered and created models for an electrokinetic instability and used it to create 1000x faster a micromixer. The team developed a novel on-chip assay device that combines isoelectric focusing and electrophoresis to achieve a 2D assay in 1/30th of the time of a traditional system. Lastly, the team developed a method that achieved 1100x fold on-chip electrophoretic sample preconcentration which lead to an additional task focused on developing rapid sample pre-concentration methods to improve on-chip assay. The team developed new codes for eletrokinetic convective-diffusion assays with fast reaction kinetics capability. The team experimentally demonstrated million-fold sample concentration increase (three orders of magnitude improvement), using optimized isotachophoresis. The original document contains color images. Sponsored in part by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).