Junquan Xu

Ion-channel assay technologies: quo vadis?

Although many existing methods are used to study the functions of ion channels and to screen lead compounds for important ion-channel targets, new technologies are being developed for improved performance. It is important to identify the advantages and disadvantages of each technology. In this review, we segment the ion-channel assay market according to distinguishable applications, and compare the needs of each market segment with the capabilities of different technologies in terms of multiple assay attributes. We further discuss the future directions in the development of ion-channel assays.

Research and applications of biochip technologies

Biochip as a new research field has enjoyed its rapid development in the past 10 years. Using microfabrication technology, thousands or hundred thousands of biological molecules can be assembled on a centimeter square microchip. Those chip-based devices can be used to analyze mutations, antigens, cells, etc. Compared with the traditional analytical instruments, chip-based micro total analytical systems have many advantages, such as reduced size, lower consumption of both reagents and energy, contamination-free, etc. Biochip technology is believed to revolutionize the future research in life sciences, disease diagnosis, drug discovery, forensic sciences and outer space exploitation in the coming century.

Functional Biochips for Cell and Molecular Manipulation

We report here the application of electromagnetic and dielectrophoresis biochips for processing cell and molecular samples.

Dielectrophoretic Separation and Transportation of Cells and Bioparticles on Microfabriacted Chips

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is the motion of polarized particles in response to nonuniform AC electric fields. This paper describes the application of DEP for separating and transporting cells and bioparticles on microfabricated electrode arrays.