BACKGROUND:  There has been a growing interest in microfluidics over the last couple of decades, particularly to develop lab-on-chip systems. Target concentration and separation are crucial steps in many chemical, biochemical, and biological assays. While various mechanisms exist to drive the targets to collection regions, they are often plagued by contamination of the separated target by non-target species present in the sample.

INNOVATION:  Researchers at UCLA have developed a simple and low-cost technique to obtain high-purity separation in lab-on-a-chip systems. Through actively transporting the target across a long, thin fluidic conduit, while minimizing diffusion of non-target species, contamination of the isolated target is eliminated. Furthermore, since the technique does not require filters or barriers in the flow path, it does not add to the complexity of fabrication nor does it restrict the purification to a narrow range of sizes.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS 

• Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems for chemical, biochemical, and biological assays
• Droplet microfluidic devices

ADVANTAGES

• High-purity separation of microfluidic target species
• Low fabrication cost
• Reconfigurable mechanism

Reference: UCLA Case No. 2009-412