Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

Microfluidic-based Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices allow the total biomedical analysis and diagnosis to be performed efficiently and effectively through integrating all the processes onto a piece of glass or plastic plate, which offers great potential for point-of-care diagnostics. In order to achieve high sensitivity and high efficiency for point-of-care diagnosis, both the chip design and fabrication and the development of the detection technology are critical. Whole column imaging detection (WCID) is a novel detection technology for capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) and the whole capillary electrophoresis (CE) family, and has found wide applications particularly in biomedical and pharmaceutics. Instruments of CIEF-WCID have been commercialized (iCE280 Analyzer) by Convergent Bioscience (Toronto) since 1998. However, there are several drawbacks associated with the conventional capillary-based cartridge for other CE modes (except CIEF), as proposed by the industrial partner, Convergent Bioscience. The main technical difficulties include that the current cartridge results in low sensitivity due to its short light path and fails to provide plug-injection, which is essential to obtain high efficiency in CE-WCID. Microfluidic chip technology offers an excellent solution to the above problems because cross-linked microchannels can provide a plug-injection easily and a high aspect ratio microchannel can increase the light path significantly as compared to capillary-based cartridges. The main objective of this proposal is to develop microfluidic chips utilizing WCID technologies for point-of-care diagnostics. Microfluidic chips with different configurations will be fabricated using soft lithography technology, which will allow the iCE280 Analyzer to be more sensitive and more powerful (capable under all CE modes and capable for both analytical purpose and micro-preparative purposes). Specifically, microfluidic chips with high aspect ratios will be used to enhance the detection of UV-WCID. Microfluidic chips with tapered channels will be used to perform preparative CIEF. Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) WCID will be developed to greatly enhance the detection sensitivity.