Clockwise:  A microfluidic chip with several channels produced in the PI’s lab. Cross section of channel roughly 80 microns wide and 40 microns deep before grafting and monolith formation showing straight sidewalls and good heat sealing. SEM image of solid phase column with embedded silica particles and 2 micron pore size. SEM of lysis column impregnated with carbon nanotubes for combined mechanical and chemical lysis.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Manufacturing Engineering

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS):
Biomedical Applications
Catherine Klapperich, Assistant Professor (joint with BME)
http://klapperichlab.org
catherin@bu.edu

Laboratory for Biomedical Materials Research

Disposable diagnostics represent an engineering system with many separate parts that need to work together.   These miniaturized systems involve a precise series of tasks that must be performed on schedule to obtain the desired result. When designing a microfluidic system, we carry out materials selection exercises, consider materials processing, pumping, fluid flow in constrained geometries, mixing, reaction rates, dwell times, part assembly, packaging and shelf life issues. All of these considerations are in addition to the underlying microbiology that is being miniaturized. In our laboratory, several undergraduates have designed microfluidic devices as their senior projects.  The undergraduate projects have been focused on a microfluidic enzyme linked immunosorbent assay to enable rapid testing for multiple infectious diseases.

Student Projects

Brandon Johnson, 2003-2004: This student did an extensive literature search and market research project to assess the need for a disposable diagnostic aimed at testing for multiple sexually transmitted diseases. His research led him to the conclusion that such a device could have a major impact on public health in this area. He subsequently designed and fabricated a non-functioning prototype of the device, which he took to an array of public health professionals for comment before  refining the final design.

Rebekah Gensure, 2004-2005: This student took the design from the previous student and fabricated a working device in the selected material set.  She demonstrated antigen-antibody binding in microfluidic channels at low concentrations. Her project was ranked in the top ten (out of more than 65) among Biomedical Engineering Seniors at BU.

M. Dominika Kulinski, 2005-2006: This student is currently working on increasing the  sensitivity of the device. She has already built a software platform to measure electroosmotic flow in the devices as she changes the design parameters. Her overall goal this year is to integrate a laser based detection system into our existing device test platform.  Her project won the “Outstanding Senior Project” award in 2006.

In the summer of 2006, Ms. Aisha Townes, a junior at Lexington High School, participated in the laboratory as an NSF RAHSS summer researcher.  Her project focused on developing polymer surface grafting procedures for low-cost microarrays.