New Integrated Systems in Microfluidics
Posted 9th April 2018 by Jane Williams
The University of Hertfordshire’s Microfluidics & Microengineering Research Group produces microfluidics-enabled systems extending from concept, through design to development realisation and testing. There is a subtle balance of science and engineering involved in the research and the group is structured to enable this balance. We spoke to Loïc Coudron, a research fellow at the University of Hertfordshire, about his current research in microfluidic equipment.
Nicole Pamme on Paper Microfluidics
Posted 9th March 2018 by Jane Williams
At the 3rd Microfluidics Congress: Europe, Nicole Pamme told us about her greatest career achievements and her advice for women in science.
Technological Developments in Microfluidics – Andrew deMello
Posted 5th February 2018 by Jane Williams
Andrew deMello is Professor of Biochemical Engineering in the Department of Chemistry & Applied Biosciences at ETH Zürich. We caught up with him at the 3rd Microfluidics Congress: Europe, where he gave us an insight into his current research at ETH Zürich.
George Whitesides on what’s next for Microfluidics – Free Presentation
Posted 1st December 2017 by Jane Williams
We were delighted to welcome Professor George Whitesides to the 2nd Microfluidics Congress: USA. If you weren’t able to make it, you can watch his presentation in full here.
Labs-on-a-chip Meets Smart Nanomaterials and Micromotors
Posted 18th October 2017 by Jane Williams
In this presentation, award winning Dr Alberto Escarpa speaks about groundbreaking research on graphene-based micromotors and quantum dots based micromotors.
The Droplet Biopsy Chip: Towards Capturing Rare Circulating Tumour Cells
Posted 29th September 2017 by Jane Williams
In 1869, Thomas Ashworth first observed circulating tumour cells (CTC) in the blood of a man with metastatic cancer using an optical microscope. He postulated that “cells identical with those of cancer itself being seen in the blood may tend to throw some light upon the mode of origin of multiple tumours existing in the same person”1.
Dynamic Microenvironments: Finding the right cancer therapy
Posted 12th July 2017 by Jane Williams
With so many promising cancer therapies emerging from research labs, a key challenge for biomedical researchers is to develop tools that accurately predict treatment efficacy against a patient’s specific cancer, thereby avoiding subjecting the patient to a trial and error process to find the best drug.
Molecular Diagnostics for the Point of Care
Posted 5th July 2017 by Jane Williams
Here, we use the term molecular diagnostics to refer to tests that detect the presence of specific nucleic acids in a clinical specimen such as blood, urine, faeces, saliva, and tissue. These nucleic acids serve, among other things, as biomarkers for the presence of infection-causing pathogens (e.g., DNA and/or RNA from bacteria, virus, and/or parasites); diseases such as cancer (characterised by mutant alleles), and genetic abnormalities.