Development and testing of a multiplex microbead assay on a plastic microfluidic device

细胞诊断公司是一家总部位于安大略省的生物技术公司，在开发 面向生命科学市场的纳米技术产品。该公司已经找到了一个市场机会， 将他们的纳米颗粒和微珠技术与微流控系统相结合。这些系统也 通常被称为“芯片上的实验室”的设备，利用微尺度的物理力量 精确控制和操纵微型化几何形状的流体。因为它们错综复杂的几何形状 这些器件的特点是非常适用于涉及微米级材料的应用，例如生物样品， 因此，目前在生命科学研究和生物技术产业中受到了极大的关注。 细胞诊断学已经概念化了一种新的微流控芯片上的多重微珠分析，它将 与市场上现有的产品相比，这是一个重大进步，但长期阻碍了这一进步 周转时间和高昂的开发成本。本项目的主要目标是使用简单和低成本 杨博士的实验室最近开发的制造工艺，以简化开发过程 细胞诊断学的多重微球分析。合作工作将涉及设计和制造一种 与高通量微孔阵列对接的塑料微流控器件，使高效 将微珠沉积到阵列中。然后，该阵列可以服从于荧光成像、检测 和分析。通过加快开发过程，细胞诊断将能够提供新的、创新的 在更短的时间内将产品推向市场，从而进一步展示其在生物技术行业的领导地位，以及 加强加拿大作为生物技术创新中心的声誉。

Cytodiagnostics is an Ontario-based biotechnology company and a leader in the development of nanotechnology products for the life sciences market. The company has identified a market opportunity to integrate their nanoparticle and microbead technology with microfluidic systems. These systems, also commonly referred to as "lab-on-a-chip" devices, take advantage of physical forces at the microscale to precisely control and manipulate fluids in miniaturized geometries. Because of their intricate geometric features, these devices are ideal in applications involving micron-sized materials such as biological samples, and thus are currently receiving significant attention in life sciences research and the biotech industry. Cytodiagnostics has conceptualized a new multiplex microbead assay on a microfluidic chip that would represent a major advance over existing products in the market, but progress has been hindered by long turnaround times and high development costs. The main goal of this project is to use simple and low-cost fabrication processes, recently developed in Dr. Young's laboratory, to streamline the development process for Cytodiagnostics' multiplex microbead assay. The collaborative effort will involve design and fabrication of a plastic microfluidic device that interfaces with a high-throughput array of microwells, enabling efficient deposition of microbeads into the array. The array can then be amenable to fluorescence imaging, detection, and analysis. By expediting the development process, Cytodiagnostics will be able to offer new, innovative products to the market in less time, thereby further demonstrating their leadership in the biotech industry, and strengthening Canada's reputation as a hub for biotech innovations.