Most doctors diagnose an infection by sending a blood sample off to a lab full of big, expensive equipment—and then waiting days for the results.
The main advantage of plastic microfluidics is that they are disposable so that one could throw this in their backpack and go off to some rural area in Africa and give people HIV tests.
Klapperich is developing an inexpensive, credit-card-sized plastic chip that can do the same diagnostic work in under an hour—and she's working with the Fraunhofer Center for Manufacturing Innovation at BU to develop a process to mass-produce the chips.
The microfluidic device (a device with tiny channels for controlling the flow of liquids) is embedded with nanoparticles that separate DNA and RNA from small samples of blood, saliva and other body fluids. The device then analyzes the DNA, identifying what type of virus or bacteria is causing the infection.
The chip could be a major step forward in fighting disease in developing countries where doctors don't have easy access to medical labs—or even the electricity and refrigeration to preserve a blood sample.
Nanotechnology
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What Is Nanotechnology?
Ready to think small? Nanotechnology is a rapidly expanding field that operates on a tiny scale—with engineers designing processes and devices as small as millionths of a millimeter. Engineers with expertise in nanotechnology are becoming increasingly valuable as our technology gets smaller and smaller—and more sophisticated.
Nanotechnology has applications in every engineering discipline, and engineers who specialize in nanotechnology contribute to life-altering innovations in a range of fields:
- Medicine—where they’re delivering highly targeted medicines and creating synthetic DNA
- Energy—where they’re creating nanomaterials for use in solar panels and fuel cells
- Defense—where they’re designing nanoscale devices for detecting chemical and biological hazards
Graduate-Level Research
In addition, many of our graduate students are involved in nanotechnology research. Several of our labs and centers are dedicated to interdisciplinary research on a nanoscale. They include:
- Center for Nanoscience & Nanobiotechnology
- Laboratory for Nanometer Scale Engineering
- Nanomedicine and Medical Acoustics Laboratory
- Optical Characterization & Nanophotonics Laboratory
What Does BU Offer?
We offer a concentration in nanotechnology for undergraduates majoring in any field of engineering (mechanical, computer, electrical or biomedical), giving them dual expertise without adding extra courses to their curriculum.
Visit the Nanotechnology website for more information.
View a full-color brochure on nanotechnology research at the College of Engineering
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