STTR Phase II: Magnetohydrodynamic-based Circular Liquid Chromatography

这个STTR第二阶段研究项目在一个小(~1英寸x 1英寸)芯片上开发了一个循环化学分离系统。该芯片和相关仪器将分离用于生物、化学、医疗和工业应用的复杂混合物。基于磁流体动力(MHD)驱动的液体流动，液相色谱(LC)分离将以圆形、闭环的形式完成。通常，LC分离要求包含多个分析物的样品沿固定长度的线性柱沿单一方向流动，并在分析物从柱上洗脱后进行检测。在环形LC系统中，小型化是可能的，因为样品在闭合环色谱柱周围循环，因此，有效柱长度不限于小芯片尺寸。很少有方法能够提供实际应用所需的闭环式流动相泵浦。设想的基于MHD的圆形LC系统将是小型、便携的，设计用于实验室和现场使用。密封的LC芯片将包含进行复杂样品分离所需的固定相、流动相和所有原位MHD泵。这台原型LC仪器将设计和制造一个内置的荧光检测器，用于直接在色谱柱上监测分析物的分离。这项研究的更广泛的影响在于所提出的循环分离系统能够将一种有价值的分析工具--液体色谱(LC)微型化。感兴趣的样本包括人类血清、唾液和尿液，感兴趣的成分分析物也同样多样(例如蛋白质、药物和小分子生物标记物)。这些复杂混合物中的许多分析物具有相似的性质，无法使用非常短的色谱柱进行分离和分析，这限制了这一重要分析工具的小型化。使用圆形LC克服了这一限制，其中有效的列长不受便携式LC仪器所必需的小芯片尺寸的限制。SFC Fluidics的核心技术使实施所需的小型化、闭环式泵成为可能。这种方法对于现场部署或护理点应用的便携式LC系统具有广泛的意义。市场机会预计将是巨大的，特别是考虑到适用性从传统仪器市场延伸到全球护理点诊断市场。

This STTR Phase II research project develops a circular chemical separation system on a small (~1 inch x 1 inch) chip. This chip and the associated instrument will separate complex mixtures for biological, chemical, medical, and industrial applications. Based on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)-driven liquid flow, liquid chromatographic (LC) separations will be accomplished in a circular, closed-loop format. Typically, LC separations require a sample containing multiple analytes to flow in a single direction along a fixed-length, linear column with detection performed after the analytes elute from the column. In the circular LC system, miniaturization is possible because samples are instead circulated around a closed-loop chromatographic column thus, the effective column length is not limited to small chip dimensions. Very few methods can provide the mobile-phase pumping in a closed-loop that is required for practical application of circular LC. The MHD-based circular LC system envisioned will be small, portable, and designed for laboratory as well as field use. The sealed LC chip will contain the stationary phase, mobile phase, and all in situ MHD pumps needed to conduct the separation of complex samples. This prototype LC instrument will be designed and fabricated with a built-in fluorescence detector for monitoring analyte separation directly on the chromatographic column.The broader impacts of this research are highlighted by the ability of the proposed circular separation system to miniaturize a valuable analytical tool, liquid chromatography (LC). Samples of interest include human blood serum, saliva, and urine, with component analytes of interest that are equally diverse (e.g. proteins, pharmaceuticals, and small molecular biomarkers). Many analytes in these complex mixtures have similar properties and cannot be separated and analyzed using a very short chromatographic column, which has limited the miniaturization of this important analytical tool. This limitation is overcome using circular LC, where the effective column length is not limited by the small chip sizes that are essential for portable LC instrumentation. SFC Fluidics' core technology makes possible the miniaturized, closed-loop pumping required for implementation. This method has broad implications for the portable LC systems for field deployment or point-of-care applications. The market opportunity is expected to be significant, particularly when considering that applicability extends beyond the traditional instrumentation market into the worldwide point-of-care diagnostics market.