IDBR: TYPE B: Microfluidic building blocks for bioinstrumentation

加州大学河滨分校（University of California, Riverside）因开发“微流控构建模块”而获得奖项，这是一个可以连接的部件库，可以快速轻松地构建定制的微流控仪器。微流体（微升尺度上的流体操纵）已经在生物和健康科学中实现了重要的应用，但目前这些应用中的每一个都使用定制的微流体“芯片”，由受过微制造艺术培训的专家设计和制造，使用昂贵的专业设备。微流控的这种高度定制化的特性减缓了微流控技术在生物科学领域的新应用。在这个项目中开发的“微流体构建模块”使非专家能够根据自己的研究需求快速构建定制仪器。每个块执行一个基本的微流体功能，如阀门，混合，储存流体，测量细胞大小，或测量光密度。使用标准化的接口，这些模块可以“点击在一起”来构建定制的微流体仪器，而无需专门的培训或设备。通过与加州大学河滨分校几个不同领域的同事合作，以及各自领域的期刊和会议报告，微流体构建模块将在整个生物科学界传播。通过允许任何科学家或工程师组装定制的微流控仪器，无需专门的培训或设备，微流控构建模块有可能加速整个科学和工程的研究进展。在资源有限的地区，医生和护士可以使用微流体构建模块来构建诊断或治疗仪器，以满足他们自己的独特需求。此外，作为教育工具，微流体构建模块可以增强从小学到大学的科学和工程课程。通过将积木组装成完成某些任务的工作工具，学生可以学习物理、化学和生物学的原理。总之，微流控构建模块具有增强现有科学技术研究和为下一代STEM劳动力做好准备的潜力。

An award is made to the University of California, Riverside to develop "microfluidic building blocks," a library of parts that can be connected to build custom microfluidic instruments quickly and easily. Microfluidics (the manipulation of fluids on the microliter scale) has enabled important applications in the biological and health sciences, but currently each of these applications uses a custom-made microfluidic "chip" designed and fabricated by a specialist trained in the art of microfabrication using costly and specialized equipment. This highly custom nature of microfluidics has slowed the spread of microfluidic technologies into new applications in the biological sciences. The "microfluidic building blocks" developed in this project enable non-experts to rapidly build custom instruments for their own research needs. Each block performs an elementary microfluidic function like valving, mixing, storing fluids, measuring cell size, or measuring optical density. Using standardized interfaces, the blocks can be literally "clicked together" to build a custom microfluidic instrument without specialized training or equipment. Through collaborations with colleagues in several different fields at UC Riverside and journal and conference presentations in their respective fields, microfluidic building blocks will be disseminated across the bioscience community.By allowing any scientist or engineer to assemble custom microfluidic instruments without specialized training or equipment, microfluidic building blocks have the potential to accelerate research progress throughout science and engineering. In resource-limited areas, doctors and nurses could use a supply of microfluidic building blocks to construct diagnostic or therapeutic instruments tailored for their own unique needs. Additionally, as educational tools, microfluidic building blocks could enhance science and engineering curricula from grade school through university. By assembling blocks into working instruments that accomplish certain tasks, students can learn principles of physics, chemistry, and biology. In summary, microfluidic building blocks have the potential to both enhance existing research in science and technology and prepare the next generation of the STEM workforce.