Microfluidic microbubbles and nanobubbles: experiments and mathematical modeling

微流控微泡和纳米泡：实验和数学建模

• 批准号: 576623-2022
• 负责人: Tsai, ScottSSH
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: Ryerson University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=759610
• 关键词: Microfluidic; microbubbles; nanobubbles; experiments; mathematical

We are initiating a collaboration between Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Oxford. This collaboration will lead to a robust microfluidic platform for generating "designer" microbubbles and nanobubbles. Similar lipid-stabilized bubbles are already clinically approved in biomedicine, as ultrasound contrast agents for the diagnoses of heart disease and cancer, and increasingly as therapeutic agents. However, commercially available microbubbles have large size distributions, which result in sub-optimal imaging and therapeutic effects, and after years of development, no microfluidic bubble-making method has been approved for clinical use.A key challenge is the size of features achievable with conventional microfluidic fabrication methods. Namely, it has not been possible to create microfluidic features that enable robust production of microbubbles small enough for ultrasound applications. Another issue preventing advances in this field is the lack of fundamental understanding of the bubble shrinkage process after bubbles are generated. Namely, only a handful of studies have examined the effect of microfluidic microbubble shrinkage.This international collaboration will combine microfluidic experimentation (TMU) and mathematical modeling (Oxford), to achieve controlled bubble shrinkage, and address important fundamental research questions. The answers to these questions will lead to "next gen" bubble generating systems for biomedical ultrasound applications, and lead to technology adoption by Canadian research hospitals, improving the health of Canadians and generating economic benefits.

我们正在发起多伦多城市大学和牛津大学之间的合作。这项合作将导致一个强大的微流体平台，用于生成“设计师”微泡和纳米泡。类似的脂质稳定的气泡已经在生物医学中被临床批准，作为诊断心脏病和癌症的超声造影剂，并且越来越多地作为治疗剂。然而，市售微泡的尺寸分布较大，导致成像和治疗效果欠佳，并且经过多年的发展，目前还没有微流控微泡的制备方法被批准用于临床，其中一个关键的挑战是传统微流控制造方法可实现的特征尺寸。也就是说，还不可能产生能够稳健地产生对于超声应用足够小的微泡的微流体特征。阻碍该领域进步的另一个问题是对气泡产生后的气泡收缩过程缺乏基本了解。也就是说，只有少数研究探讨了微流体微泡收缩的效果。这项国际合作将结合联合收割机微流体实验（TMU）和数学建模（牛津大学），以实现可控的气泡收缩，并解决重要的基础研究问题。这些问题的答案将导致“下一代”气泡发生系统的生物医学超声应用，并导致加拿大研究医院采用技术，改善加拿大人的健康和产生经济效益。