SBIR Phase II: Themally-Actuated Microfluidic Systems

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a new technology to satisfy the need for reliable and inexpensive ultifunctional fluid handling and control in microfluidic devices. Building on the Phase I results, which demonstrated the fundamental concepts of thermal actuation of microfluidics, the goals of the Phase II program are to demonstrate, develop, and optimize thermal actuation techniques for all useful microfluidic fluid handling functions, and to demonstrate the ability to combine the various functions into an integrated device. To achieve these goals, methods will be developed for fabricating, operating, evaluating, and optimizing devices demonstrating each function of interest in a realistic application setting. The end result will be a complete microfluidic tool box that can be applied to supply fluid handling and control functions to a variety of customers for implementation in commercial microfluidic devices. The broader impacts of this research are in the areas of biomedical and biopharmaceutical research, and clinical diagnostics. Successful completion of this Phase II program would result in development of a set of thermally-actuated functional elements enabling a less complex and more cost-effective biomedical microfluidic device; the "lab-on-a-chip" system. The potential commercial value is significant. The increasing complexity of molecular diagnostic tests and the pressure to provide cost-effective, reliable, and repeatable point-of-care assays will continue to increase the demand for such systems. Societal impact of such a technology will include substantial cost reduction, more accurate and consistent results, and improved health care resulting from more rapid and specific treatment.