Microfluidic Viscometer Technology - Enabling the Measurement of the Viscosity of Microliter-Volume Liquids

粘度计和流变仪市场在2021年创造了6.486亿美元的收入，预计到2029年将达到10亿美元，复合年增长率为6.79%。微流控粘度计用于制药应用，药物应具有与血液相似的粘度，以便很容易与血液混合。一种这样的应用是单抗(MAbb)的“注射性”，mAbs是经过改造的分子，可以作为替代抗体，恢复、增强、修改或模仿免疫系统对癌细胞等不受欢迎的细胞的攻击。这些药物通常在高浓度(&lt；100 mg/ml)下配制，导致高粘度，从而对注射性和制造提出了挑战。最先进的微流控粘度计在样品体积(例如锥形/板式流变仪)、成本(进行测试或购买一台设备)和完全速率范围之间进行权衡，最终导致产品损失或高质量控制/研发成本。该研究团队开发了一种新颖、价格实惠、可扩展和高效的微流控粘度计，解决了这些缺点和权衡难题。核心技术是一种可消耗的微流控芯片，它允许通过使用相机监控牛顿和非牛顿液体的受控运动来测量微小体积的牛顿和非牛顿液体的粘度。包括高级电泳解决方案有限公司(剑桥，安大略省)和比霍伊·贝拉博士(荷兰代尔夫特理工大学)在内的外部合作伙伴的反馈将用于开发一种适合单抗溶液的表面涂层。这将导致均匀的沟槽表面特性，减少样品的粘附力，并提高测量剪应力的准确性，最终改善UW发明的性能。将与我们的合作伙伴/潜在客户合作，对这些拟议的改进在有前景的应用(mAb流变学表征)中进行初步测试。计划中的测试版测试和应用程序测试的结果将有助于建立垂直目标市场(S)、可能的初创公司创建的时机以及上市战略。

The viscometer & rheometer market generated US $648.6 million in 2021 and is expected to reach 1 billion by 2029 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 6.79%. Microfluidic viscometers are used in pharmaceutical applications, where drugs should have a viscosity similar to blood so that it can be easily miscible with the blood. One such application is the 'syringeability' of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), which are engineered molecules to serve as substitute antibodies that can restore, enhance, modify or mimic the immune system's attack on undesired cells such as cancer cells. These drugs are typically formulated at high concentrations (<100 mg/ml) resulting in high viscosities and thereby posing challenges for syringeability and manufacturing. The state-of-the-art microfluidic viscometers present trade-offs between the sample volume (e.g., cone/plate rheometers), cost (to run a test or purchase a unit) and sheer rate ranges, ultimately resulting in either lost product or high-quality control/research & development costs. This research team has developed a novel, affordable, scalable and efficient microfluidic viscometer that addresses these shortcomings and trade-off dilemmas. The core technology is a consumable microfluidic chip that allows the viscosity of minuscule volumes of Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids to be measured by monitoring their controlled motion using a camera. Feedback from the external partners including Advanced Electrophoresis Solutions Ltd. (Cambridge, ON) and Dr. Bijoy Bera (Delft University of Technology, Netherlands) will be used to develop a suitable surface coating for mAb solution. This will result in a uniform channel surface property reducing sample adhesion, and improving the accuracy of the measured shear stress, ultimately improving the performance of the UW invention. Preliminary testing of these proposed improvements in promising applications (mAb rheological characterization) will be performed in collaboration with our partners/potential customers. The results of the planned beta trials and application testing will help establish target market vertical(s), timing of a possible startup company's creation, and a go-to-market strategy.