Optically enabled micro-total analysis systems

微全分析系统或芯片实验室需要能够执行微型流体设备的关键任务的致动器;这些任务包括泵送、分选、混合和分析。光学技术固有的非侵入性，加上其可扩展性，意味着它们非常适合执行这些任务。在这个拟议的工作机构，我将在我的主要驱动器，开发一系列这样的光学启用微流体致动器。这些设备中的第一个将是全光学微流体分选技术。这项技术将允许生物或其他物质按照包括大小、形状和内部密度在内的标准进行分类或分级。我工作的第二个推动力将是发展适合于芯片实验室的光学识别技术，主要基于使用光学分选技术来识别低发生率物种，如人类血液中的非转移性癌细胞。在第三项活动中，我将开发一种光学驱动的微流体泵，能够以受控的方式泵送小体积的分析物。我将调整分选和泵送技术以获得微流体混合。在所有这些方法的同时，我将开发适合于所使用的光学技术的微流体腔室;其最终目标是将我的两种或更多种新型微流体技术集成到一个设备中。

A micro-total analysis system, or a lab-on-a-chip, needs actuators capable of performing the key tasks of a miniature fluidic device; which include pumping, sorting, mixing and analysis. The inherent non-invasive nature of optical techniques, combined with their scalability, mean that they are ideally suited to performing these tasks. In this proposed body of work, I will in my primary drive, develop a range of such optically enabled microfluidic actuators. The first of these devices will be an all optical microfluidic sorting technique. This technique will allow biological or other matter to be sorted or fractionated by criteria that include, size, shape and internal density. A second push of my work will be towards the development of optical identification techniques suited to a lab-on-chip, base primarily on the use of the optical sorting technique to identify lowoccurrence species such as non-metastatic cancer cells in human blood. In third activity in the proposed work I will the develop an optically driven microfluidic pump capable of pumping small volumes of analyte in a controlled manner. I will adapt the sorting and pumping technologies to get microfluidic mixing. In parallel to all these approaches I will be developing microfluidic chambers, suited to the optical techniques being used; the end goal of which is to integrate two or more of my novel microfluidic techniques into a single device.