Electrode Design for Integrated Flow Metering in Microfluidics
Mentors
Project Description
Our research lab, in Boston University Photonics Center’s Business Innovation Center, is focused on the development of new diagnostic tests to support personalized therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from neurological conditions. Given the increasingly decentralized nature of healthcare and clinical trials, there is a need for easy-to-use, cost-effective remote monitoring tools in near-patient settings. To address this unmet need, we are focused on developing an electrochemical-based microfluidic platform to bridge the gap between multiple-biomarker strategies—that are more optimistic with complex, multifactorial diseases/conditions—and their implementation as a part of routine clinical care/trials. Our platform—based on novel electrochemical sensing technology developed at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute—selectively detects protein biomarkers captured by antibodies that are coupled to a nano-composite coating on the electrode surface. The goal of this project will be to design and optimize an electrode chip that integrates impedance-based flow metering to support reliable remote monitoring of Multiple Sclerosis disease activity. Researchers working on this project will learn about the application of protein biomarkers for neurological conditions and some of the interdisciplinary challenges associated with developing near-patient diagnostics.
Research goals
● Design and characterize an electrode chip for impedance-based flow metering.
● Optimize electrode geometry and measurement parameters to maximize signal contrast.
● Interpret time-dependent impedance signals to identify flow-state transitions.
Learning goals
● Learn about the design and fabrication of electrode chips.
● Learn about the physics of laminar microfluidic flow and mass transport.
● Learn about electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and tools for signal processing.
Rough Timeline for the Project
Ten weeks, June 1st – August 7th:
1. Introduction and general lab training
2. Review the literature and ideate design
3. Develop electrode chip design
4. Characterize impedance under static conditions
5. Characterize Impedance under controlled flow
6. Optimize geometry and measurement parameters
7. Refine flow metering algorithm
8. Evaluate design and flow metering performance
9. Make conclusions and report results
10. Prepare and present findings