Mohammad Mahdi Aeinehvand

Latex micro-balloon pumping in centrifugal microfluidic platforms

Centrifugal microfluidic platforms have emerged as point-of-care diagnostic tools. However, the unidirectional nature of the centrifugal force limits the available space for multi-step processes on a single microfluidic disc. To overcome this limitation, a passive pneumatic pumping method actuated at high rotational speeds has been previously proposed to pump liquid against the centrifugal force. In this paper, a novel micro-balloon pumping method that relies on elastic energy stored in a latex membrane is introduced. It operates at low rotational speeds and pumps a larger volume of liquid towards the centre of the disc. Two different micro-balloon pumping mechanisms have been designed to study the pump performance at a range of rotational frequencies from 0 to 1500 rpm. The behaviour of the micro-balloon pump on the centrifugal microfluidic platforms has been theoretically analysed and compared with the experimental data. The experimental data show that the developed pumping method dramatically decreases the required rotational speed to pump liquid compared to the previously developed pneumatic pumping methods. It also shows that within a range of rotational speed, a desirable volume of liquid can be stored and pumped by adjusting the size of the micro-balloon.

Biosensing enhancement of dengue virus using microballoon mixers on centrifugal microfluidic platforms.

Dengue is the current leading cause of death among children in several Latin American and Asian countries. Due to poverty in areas where the disease is prevalent and the high cost of conventional diagnostic systems, low cost devices are needed to reduce the burden caused by dengue infection. Centrifugal microfluidic platforms are an alternative solution to reduce costs and increase the availability of a rapid diagnostic system. The rate of chemical reactions in such devices often depends on the efficiency of the mixing techniques employed in their microfluidic networks. This paper introduces a micromixer that operates by the expansion and contraction of a microballoon to produce a consistent periodical 3D reciprocating flow. We established that microballoons reduced mixing time of 12 μl liquids from 170 min, for diffusional mixing, to less than 23 s. We have also tested the effect of the microballoon mixers on the detection of the dengue virus. The results indicate that employing a microballoon mixer enhances the detection sensitivity of the dengue virus by nearly one order of magnitude compared to the conventional ELISA method.

Microsphere integrated microfluidic disk: synergy of two techniques for rapid and ultrasensitive dengue detection

The application of microfluidic devices in diagnostic systems is well-established in contemporary research. Large specific surface area of microspheres, on the other hand, has secured an important position for their use in bioanalytical assays. Herein, we report a combination of microspheres and microfluidic disk in a unique hybrid platform for highly sensitive and selective detection of dengue virus. Surface engineered polymethacrylate microspheres with carefully designed functional groups facilitate biorecognition in a multitude manner. In order to maximize the utility of the microspheres’ specific surface area in biomolecular interaction, the microfluidic disk was equipped with a micromixing system. The mixing mechanism (microballoon mixing) enhances the number of molecular encounters between spheres and target analyte by accessing the entire sample volume more effectively, which subsequently results in signal amplification. Significant reduction of incubation time along with considerable lower detection limits were the prime motivations for the integration of microspheres inside the microfluidic disk. Lengthy incubations of routine analytical assays were reduced from 2 hours to 5 minutes while developed system successfully detected a few units of dengue virus. Obtained results make this hybrid microsphere-microfluidic approach to dengue detection a promising avenue for early detection of this fatal illness.

A Microfluidic Lab-on-a-Disc (LOD) for Antioxidant Activities of Plant Extracts

Antioxidants are an important substance that can fight the deterioration of free radicals and can easily oxidize when exposed to light. There are many methods to measure the antioxidant activity in a biological sample, for example 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant activity test, which is one of the simplest methods used. Despite its simplicity, the organic solvent that has been used to dilute DPPH is easily evaporated and degraded with respect to light exposure and time. Thus, it needs to be used at the earliest convenient time prior to the experiment. To overcome this issue, a rapid and close system for antioxidant activity is required. In this paper, we introduced the Lab-on-a-Disc (LoD) method that integrates the DPPH antioxidant activity test on a microfluidic compact disc (CD). We used ascorbic acid, quercetin, Areca catechu, Polygonum minus, and Syzygium polyanthum plant extracts to compare the results of our proposed LoD method with the conventional method. Contrasted to the arduous laborious conventional method, our proposed method offer rapid analysis and simple determination of antioxidant. This proposed LoD method for antioxidant activity in plants would be a platform for the further development of antioxidant assay.

A New Approach for Reagent Storage-Releasing on Centrifugal Microfluidic Platforms Using Bubblewrap and Latex Membrane

The implementation of latex membranes on centrifugal microfluidic platform has led to the development of advanced liquid handling features, with the exception of a proper reagent storage-releasing technique. This paper presents a new approach for reagent storage-releasing technique using bubbles of a bubblewrap with latex membrane tabs. The bubble was first filled with a liquid sample, sealed with a biocompatible paraffin wax, and then was placed in a chamber of the microfluidic disc. The chamber was then covered with a latex membrane tab similar to single microballoon pump. To release the stored liquid the membrane was manually deflected into the chamber to burst the bubble. The sealed bubbles are leak-free up to 106 kPa, and the average reagent recovery rate is 92%.

The effects of placement and geometry on thermo-pneumatic pumping on centrifugal microfluidic compact disc (CD) platforms

Thermo-pneumatic pumping (TPP) is used to pump fluids on a microfluidic compact disc (CD) to the center of the CD. The expansion of air during heating drives the fluid transfer during TPP. It is easy to fabricate the TPP air chamber and adjoining channel since there are no moving components in their structure and that the thermal energy is supplied to the pump through localized heating equipment. This allows the pumping process even while the disc is rotating. In this report, by changing the shape and placement of the air chamber, we demonstrate that the experimental behavior of the TPP process can be manipulated by the altering heating rate of the air chamber. The placement and geometry of the air expansion chambers affect the rate of transfer during the TPP process. These modifications allow for the customization of the TPP and for a better incorporation onto the microfluidic CD platform, enabling the platform to be more versatile, more complex in functions and countable to be implemented.