Project description

Within this project, we want to create efficient and accurate analysis instruments necessary for medical diagnosis and development of new therapies for thrombosis and malignant diseases (basal cell carcinomas, squamos cell carcinomas and malignant melanoma), pathologies in which modifications in the flow of biological fluids appear. From the scientific and technological point of view, the project offers a new approach by lining up with the current national and international trends on nanomedicine and micro-nanobiotechnologies. In this project we want to realize a fundamental architectural unit of a smart microfluidic system in order to model the molecular transport mechanisms in non-Newtonian biological fluids (blood, cerebrospinal fluid, amniotic fluid). Also, we want to develop new control methods for fluid flow with practical applications in monitoring, dosing and directing biological fluids to the detection electronics. The results obtained within the project have direct applicability in the medical area, in malignant pathology, histopathological and etiopathogeny aspects, therapeutic decision, with implications in the decrease of the risk of tumor and metastasis recurrence. The biochip realized in this project will impose itself in clinical laboratory research by its importance and complexity of the delivered information for fast indication of the diagnosis and therapy to be followed. It will also presume lower costs then the actual methods. The smart microfluidic system which we propose will contain: a magnetohydrodynamic micropump, for delivering controlled quantities of fluid; a capillary viscosimeter, for viscosity measurements; a system of microchannels for fluid transport; microfluidic switches, to control the on/off state of a channel without the need of large differential pressures; microfluidic devices capable of performing logical operations, similar to logical silicon integrated circuits; micropumps for pressure sources; microfluidic microdistributors for delivering liquid volumes which further can be divided into equal or unequal volumes and be delivered in a controlled manner to specified destinations, either sequentially or simultaneously. The microfluidic switches, microfluidic logical gates, resistors, capacitors and bitable microfluidic devices can be coupled together to perform various mathematical or Boolean functions, just like electronic circuits. Microfluidic switches can be coupled in various configurations to form microfluidic multiplexers. The biochip will incorporate a manipulation, sorting and detection system for magnetic marked biological structures or with intrinsic magnetic properties. Dielectrophoresis will be used to trap the particles in potential gaps.