Microfluidic nano- to femtoliter printer

Microfluidic nano- to femtoliter printer
Technology Offering
The technology concerns a novel miniaturized and highly automated method for the controlled printing of
large arrays of thousands of nano- to femtoliter droplets per second. High-throughput printing and sealing
of nano- to femtoliter droplets is of high interest when performing bio-asssays. Its printing of arrays of nanoto femtoliter droplets can lead to deposition of micro- and nanoparticles with single particle resolution, and
solid-state materials and on-chip detection or analysis of said particles and solid-state materials.
Keywords: Microfluidics, arrays, nanoliter droplet printing, femtoliter printing, assaying
Background & basic concept of the technology
Parent droplets are electrostatically transported with electrowetting-on-dielectric actuation over an array of conductive elements
covered with a hydrophobic insulator on a flexible and reconfigurable way. These parent droplets then release smaller droplets that
carry bio-molecules or functionalized particles in an array pattern. Such densely packed arrays (microarrays) permit many reactions
to be monitored in parallel, which is beneficial for miniaturization, saving time, volume and increasing cost-effectiveness of the used
method. Moreover, these ultralow volumes (down to femtoliter scale) enable fast diffusion times and concentration of generated
fluorophores which allows sensitive detection of low concentrations of target molecules. The assay reactions can be binding events
of target molecules to capture molecules such as, but not limited to, DNA-DNA interactions, DNA-protein interactions, enzymatic
reactions, and immunological assays or for performing digital enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (digital ELISA) or digital
polymerase chain reaction (digital PCR).
Advantages & strengths
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Very high sensitivity combined with full automation and high-throughput
High definition diagnostics
1000 times greater sensitivity than conventional immunoassays
Multiplexing capabilities
Permits many reactions to be monitored in parallel
Easy to use, flexible and able to print many different substances as nano- to femtoliter arrays with liquid volumes assuming the
desired shape and size
• Possibility to use as a stand-alone microfluidic device without external connections
Applications & market opportunities
Automated analysis of biomolecules in nano- to femtoliter volumes.
Patterned deposition of suspended solid-state materials such as micro- to nanoparticles or crystals.
Intellectual property status
Patents and/or patent applications:
Title:
Number:
Priority Date:
PATTERNING DEVICE
PCT/BE2013/000004
24 Jan 2012
Collaboration
Collaboration sought:
KU Leuven Research & Development (LRD), the technology transfer department at the University of Leuven, is looking for interested
industrial partners for collaboration and/or licensing opportunities. Additional details are available upon request.
The technology has been developed in the KU.Leuven Research unit, Division of Mechatronics, Biostatistics and Sensors (MeBioS),
under the supervision of Prof. Jeroen Lammertyn.
Contact
Ivo Roelants
KU Leuven Research & Development
Waaistraat 6, box 5105
3000 Leuven, Belgium
Tel: +32 16 32 65 22 - Fax: +32 16 32 65 15
E-mail: ivo.roelants@lrd.kuleuven.be
Internal reference: ZL912003