Synthesis, Test, and Reconfiguration Techniques for Microfluidics-Based Biochips

Krishnendu ChakrabartyDuke University项目标题：基于微流体的生物芯片的合成、测试和重构技术基于微流体的生物芯片为DNA分析、涉及蛋白质和多肽的蛋白质组分析、免疫分析和环境毒性监测提供了令人兴奋的可能性。在不久的将来，由于多功能和可重新配置的平台上需要多个和并行的生化分析，这种设备的复杂性预计将变得显著。有必要向生物芯片设计者提供与半导体行业现在认为理所当然的相同水平的计算机辅助设计(CAD)支持。该项目的目标是开发自上而下的系统级CAD工具，用于电润湿数字微流控生物芯片的合成、测试和重新配置。这些CAD工具将使设计师能够利用正在迅速出现的集成生物流体的新技术。作为该项目的一部分，正在开发的CAD工具将允许生物芯片用户在高抽象水平上描述生化分析。然后，合成工具将行为描述映射到基于液滴的微流控生物芯片，并生成分析操作的优化时间表、分析操作与功能单元的绑定以及生物芯片的布局和液滴流动路径。正在开发具有成本效益的测试技术，以在制造后和现场运行期间检测故障。在线和离线重新配置技术被整合到这些CAD工具中，一旦检测到故障，就可以很容易地绕过故障。因此，生物芯片用户可以专注于纳米和微米级生物检测的开发，而将检测优化和实现细节留给设计自动化工具。该项目连接了几个研究领域，例如微流控、微机械、电子设计自动化和生物化学。该项目的成果将促进小型化、低成本生物传感器的发展。这些传感器将彻底改变空气质量研究和临床诊断的数据采集和分析，使环境监测、医疗保健、暴露评估、应急响应和公共政策发生变革。小尺寸和高容错性使这些系统成为个人采样器的理想选择，例如用于临床诊断和测量人体暴露在空气中的毒素。

ABSTRACT0541055Krishnendu ChakrabartyDuke UniversityProject Title: Synthesis, Test, and Reconfiguration Techniques for Microfluidics-Based BiochipsMicrofluidics-based biochips offer exciting possibilities for DNA analysis, proteomic analysis involving proteins and peptides, immuno-assays, and environmental toxicity monitoring. The complexity such devices is expected to become significant in the near future due to the need for multiple and concurrent biochemical assays on multifunctional and reconfigurable platforms. There is a need to deliver the same level of computer-aided design (CAD) support to the biochip designer that the semiconductor industry now takes for granted. The goal of this project is to develop top-down system-level CAD tools for the synthesis, testing and reconfiguration of electrowetting-based digital microfluidic biochips. These CAD tools will allow designers to harness new technology that is rapidly emerging for integrated biofluidics. The CAD tools being developed as part of this project will allow biochip users to describe biochemical assays at high levels of abstraction. Synthesis tools will then map behavioral descriptions to a droplet-based microfluidic biochip and generate an optimized schedule of assay operations, the binding of assay operations to functional units, and the layout and droplet flow-paths for the biochip. Cost-effective testing techniques are being developed to detect faults after manufacture and during field operation. On-line and off-line reconfiguration techniques, being incorporated in these CAD tools, can easily bypass faults once they are detected. Thus the biochip user can concentrate on the development of the nano- and micro-scale bioassays, leaving assay optimization and implementation details to design automation tools. This project bridges several research communities, e.g., microfluidics, MEMS, electronic design automation, and biochemistry. The results of this project will lead to the development of miniaturized and low-cost biosensors. These sensors will revolutionize data acquisition and analysis for air quality studies and clinical diagnostics, enabling a transformation in environmental monitoring, healthcare, exposure assessment, emergency response, and public policy. The small size and high fault tolerance make these systems ideal for personal samplers, e.g., for clinical diagnostics, and to measure human exposure to air toxins.