This paper introduces an alternative technique for the development of microfluidic systems for biotechnology based on mechanical machining and ultrasonic welding. Advantages of this approach over existing prototyping approaches involving the rapid development of tooling include: (a) short cycle time, (b) design flexibility, and (c) low cost manufacturing. In addition, the process provides a migration path to high volume production. A limitation of this system is that it cannot practically produce microchannels smaller than about 250 μm (0.010 in). However, for many biological cell-based biosensors, this feature scale seems well suited based on cell viability results. Several issues are discussed relevant to this approach, including bond strength, seal leakage, and sterilization. / Graduation date: 2002

Powder injection molding (PIM) is a net fabrication technique that combines the complex shape-forming ability of plastic injection molding, the precision of die-casting, and the material selection flexibility of powder metallurgy. For this study, the design issues related to PIM for fabrication of thin-walled high-aspect ratio geometries were investigated. These types of geometries are typical to the field of microtechnology-based energy and chemical systems (MECS). MECS are multi-scale (sizes in at least two or more different length scale regimes) fluidic devices working on the principle of heat and mass transfer through embedded micro and nanoscale features. Stainless steel was the material chosen for the investigations because of its high-thermal resistance and chemical inertness necessary for typical microfluidic applications. The investigations for the study were performed using the state-of-the-art computer aided engineering (CAE) design tool, PIMSolver��. The effect of reducing part thickness, on the process parameters including melt temperature, mold temperature, fill time and switch over position, during the mold-filling stage of the injection molding cycle were investigated. The design of experiments was conducted using the Taguchi method. It was seen that the process variability generally increased with reduction in thickness. Mold temperature played the most significant role in controlling the mold filling behavior as the part thickness reduced. The effects of reducing part thickness, process parameters, microscale surface geometry and delivery system design on the occurrence of defects like short shots were also studied. The operating range, in which the mold cavity was completely filled, was greatly reduced as the part thickness was reduced. The single edge gated delivery system designs, with single or branched runners, resulted in a completely formed part. The presence of microchannel features on the part surface increased the possibility of formation of defects like short shots and weld-lines when compared to a featureless part. The study explored some typical micro-fluidic geometries for fabrication using PIM. The final aspect of this study was the PIM experiments performed using a commercial stainless steel feedstock. Experiments were performed to study the mold-filling behavior of a thin, high aspect ratio part and also to study the effect of varying processing conditions on the mold-filling behavior. These experiments also provided correspondence to the mold filling behavior simulated using PIMSolver��. The PIMSolver�� closely predicted the mold-filling patterns as seen in the experiments performed under similar molding conditions. The study was successful in laying down a quantitative framework for using PIM to fabricate micro-fluidic devices. / Graduation date: 2005

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-114). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 152-171).

This thesis presents the design, fabrication, and testing of a micromixing device intended for use in investigating protein dynamics on a microsecond timescale by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Numerical modeling of flow was implemented to predict the influence of flow rates and geometric variations on mixing performance in three passive mixers. The simulation models were validated by experimental measurements using optical and infrared detection. The optimum level of mixing was observed in a multi-lamination mixer that combined thin filaments of differing fluids in an alternating manner. The multi-laminates were transferred onto polished calcium fluoride infrared-transparent optical windows by lithographic processing of an Epon-based polymer, SU-8. A rigid seal between two microchannels was accomplished through thermal bonding of an unexposed resist layer, which acted as a thermal epoxy under the influence of temperature. The multi-lamination mixer was used to study the changes in the secondary structure of beta-Lactoglobulin in deuterated phosphate buffer under varying physicochemical conditions by time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy using focal plane array detection. Upon a pH jump from pH 2 to neutral pH, a gradual loss of alpha-helical content, accompanied by an increase in random coils and turns was observed within 2 ms of mixing. In a second kinetic experiment, mixing of a neutral-pH solution of beta-Lactoglobulin with a 60% trifluoroethanol solution resulted in the formation of an alpha-helical intermediate with an accompanying increase in intramolecular beta-sheet structure within 500 mus of mixing. These results indicate that the multi-lamination mixer designed and fabricated in this study is well suited for investigations of protein dynamics on the micro- to millisecond timescale by time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy.

The goal of cancer immunotherapies is to boost the immune system's ability to detect tumor antigens and mount an effective anti-tumor immune response. Currently, adoptive T cell transfer therapy (ACT), the administration of ex vivo expanded autologous tumor-specific T cells, is one of the most promising immunotherapies under development; however, its efficacy has been limited so far with a mere 10% complete remission rate in the most successful clinical trials. The prolonged ex vivo culture process is a potential reason for this ineffectiveness because the transfused cells may reach replicative senescence and immunosenescence prior to patient transfer. The objective of this thesis is to offer two approaches towards an improvement of treatment efficacy. First, we generated a 'senescence metric' from the identification of biomarkers that can be used in the clinic towards predicting age and responsiveness of ex vivo expanded T cells. The second approach is to understand at the molecular level the changes that occur during ex vivo expansion to devise improved ACT protocols. In particular, we focused on the shift towards a pro-oxidizing environment and its potential effects on calcium signaling. The combined development and application of microfluidic technologies and computational models in this thesis facilitated our investigations of the phenotypic and signaling changes occurring in T cells during the progression towards immunosenescence. Our findings of altered T cell properties over long term culture provide insight for the design of future cancer immunotherapy protocols.

This thesis seeks to address the critical bottlenecks of current technologies that have slowed the neuroscience research in C. elegans. The objective of this research is to enhance the currently developed systems through the design and construction of simple microdevices and quantitative analytical tools for high-throughput phenotyping C. elegans to investigate functions of nervous systems. First, we developed and used the integrated system combining user-friendly single-layer microfluidics and quantitative analytical tools to study the genetic regulation of target gene expression. We found several putative mutants based on large-scale screens, which would have previously been too labor-intensive to attempt. Second, we developed a simple mathematical model that describes the regulation of a target gene expression. Using the model developed, we simulated phenotypical space of hypothetical mutants to suggest plausible genetic pathways some isolated mutants may affect. Lastly, we developed a high-density multichannel device for rapid trapping, parallel selective stimulating, long-term culturing, and (often repeatedly). We used this integrated system to study the neurodegenerative process based on selective ablation of multiple animals using an optogenetic tool, which would have been taken at least 1 order of magnitude longer. Taken together, we expect that these developments will greatly facilitate a broad range of fundamental, and application studies including aging, neurodegeneration, circuit and behavior.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an extremely powerful tool for viral detection and screening because it can detect specific infectious agents with great sensitivity and specificity. It works by exponentially amplifying a target viral DNA sequence to high enough concentrations through the use of specific reagents and thermal cycling. It has surpassed culture based methods as the gold standard for viral detection because of the increased speed and sensitivity. Microfluidic approaches to PCR have focused on decreasing the time to thermally cycle, the volumes used for reactions, and they have also added upstream and downstream processes that are of benefit for on-chip viral detection. While these improvements have made great strides over commercially available products in terms of speed, cost, and integration, a major limitation that has yet to be explored is the throughput associated with running PCR. Since each PCR reaction relies on primers with a unique annealing temperature to detect specific viral DNA, only a single virus can be screened for at a time. The device presented here uses two infrared laser diodes that are driven identically by the same laser driver to independently thermally cycle two chambers on the same microfluidic chip. Different temperatures are achieved in the two chambers by modulating the radiation reaching one of those chambers with an optical shutter. Closed loop temperature feedback in both chambers is done with a Labview program and thermocouples embedded in the polymer chip. This allows for accurate temperature measurement without inhibiting the reaction. To demonstrate the capabilities of this device, two different reactions were simultaneously amplified successfully on the same device that have annealing temperatures that differ by 15°C.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 184-192).

A eletroforese capilar em microchips (µCE ou MCE) é uma forma diferente de eletroforese capilar que tem se desenvolvido muito nos últimos anos. Essa técnica usa microdispositivos feitos em placas que podem ser de vidro ou polímero contendo canais de dimensões micrométricas ao invés de um capilar de sílica. Ganhos significativos têm sido obtidos em termos de tempo de análise, volume manipulado, dimensões físicas, consumo energético e integrabilidade com outros sistemas. Neste trabalho foi empregada uma técnica diferente de microfabricação, usando toner de impressora laser e folhas de transparência para a construção de dispositivos para microfluídica. A técnica se mostra simples, rápida e excelente para prototipagem. Visando a aplicação desses microchips de toner-poliéster, esse trabalho teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de instrumentação para separações químicas usando microdispositivos de toner-poliéster. Fontes de alta-tensão e de corrente foram desenvolvidas usando módulos conversores de baixa para alta-tensão elétrica. As programações das fontes foram feitas usando tensões elétricas geradas por uma placa de aquisição de dados ou por um conversor digital-analógico (DAC) com uma interface de comunicação I2C. Todo o controle foi desenvolvido em sistema GNU/Linux. Um sistema de injeção hidrodinâmico também foi desenvolvido usando um compressor de ar de diafragma juntamente com um sistema de amortecimento pneumático de pulsações e tendo sua pressão interna estabilizada por uma coluna d\'água. Um medidor de pressão eletrônico foi desenvolvido, usando um sensor de pressão, e calibrado com um manômetro de coluna d\'água. Registros de pressão de -10, -1, +1 e +10cm de coluna d\'água em função de diferentes tempos de injeção foram feitos usando um software controlando o acionamento do injetor hidrodinâmico e efetuando leituras do medidor de pressão eletrônico. Os dados mostram que colunas d\'água de 10cm e tempos de injeção maiores que 3 segundos exibem um desvio padrão relativo (RSD) de aproximadamente 0,5% em módulo. uUma proposta diferente de construção de reservatórios é apresentada. Tal proposta usa mantas de silicone e um bloco de acrílico para a definição dos reservatórios. Observou-se que essa configuração promove o estrangulamento dos canais nas microestruturas de toner-poliéster. Assim, a configuração de colagem de reservatórios por pedaços de tubos, mostrou-se melhor para uso com dispositivos de toner-poliéster descartáveis. Uma nova forma de confecção de eletrodos para detecção condutométrica sem contato acoplada capacitivamente (C4D) foi desenvolvida usando placas de circuito impresso (PCB). Após a confecção dos eletrodos pelo processo de corrosão de PCB a placa foi recoberta com uma resina para que os espaços entre os eletrodos ficassem da mesma altura da camada de cobre. Essa configuração é simples e permite uma maior integração de circuitos eletrônicos. Testes de separação eletroforética foram feitos usando a instrumentação desenvolvida neste trabalho. Soluções de 100µM dos cloretos de K+, Na+ e Li+ dissolvidos em tampão HLac/His 2mM foram usadas para os testes. Essas espécies foram injetadas eletrocineticamente e separadas usando tampão HLac/His 20mM. A quantificação não foi possível por apresentar irreprodutibilidade no processo de injeção devido ao uso de espécies de elevada mobilidade, juntamente com longos canais de injeção. Também foram realizados testes com amostras de sangue permitindo a separação de K+ e Na+ sem pré-tratamento. Separações isotacoforéticas de 1mM dos cloretos de K+, Na+ e Li+ e 1mM de HCl, como eletrólito líder, e 1mM de cloreto de tetrametilamônio, como terminador, foram realizadas para demonstrar a funcionalidade do sistema em sistemas isotacoforéticos. / The Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis (µCE or MCE) is a different kind of capillary electrophoresis that has been growing. This technique uses devices made with small plates of glass or polymer with a microchannel instead of a silica capilar. Improvements in time analysis, sample volumes, physical dimensions, power consume, and integrability with diferent systems have been archieved. A diferent microfabrication technique using laser printer toner and polyester sheets was used to build devices for microfluidic devices. This tecnique is simple, fast and suitable for prototyping. In this work were developed instruments for use with these toner-polyester microdevices. High-voltage and current sources were developed using high-voltage conversors (DC/HVDC). The programming was obtained by electric voltages from a data acquisition board and a digital-analogic conversor (DAC) with a I2C interface communication. Its control was made in a GNU/Linux System. An hidrodynamic injector was developed using an air compressor with a pulse dumper. The internal pressure was regulated by water column. An electronic manometer was built and calibrated with a water manometer. Recording of pressure using -10, -1, +1, and +10cm water column using different injection times were acquired with a data acquisition system. The data show that when water columns of ca. 10cm and injection times greater than 3 seconds are used, the relative standard deviation (RSD) is about 0.5% in modulus. A different way to build vials is presented. This method uses a silicone mantle and plastic glass block with holes. As a result, channels are stragled due to the poliester sheets. A new way to build electrodes for capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C4D) using printed circuit boards (PCB) is shown. After the corrosion of the copper board, varnish is applied on the board to planify its surface. This configuration is simple and allows good integrability with the electronic circuit. Electrophoretic tests using the instrumentation developed was performed by separation of 100µM K+, Na+ and Li+ solutions in 2mM HLac/His buffer. This solutions were injected by electrokinetic method and separated using 20mM HLac/His buffer under high-voltage. The three species were detected but not quantified due to irreprodutibilities of the electrokinetic injection with high mobility ions. Demonstrative separations of K+ and Na+ were made with the same chemical system and blood samples without pretreatment. Isotacophoretic separations of 1mM K+, Na+, and Li+ in 1mM HCl (leader electrolyte) and 1mM tetramethylammonium (terminate electrolyte) were carried outto demonstrate the system functionality.