Facilitating Miniaturized Bioanalytical Assays in Microfluidic Devices

• Main Author: Zhukov, Dmitriy Vladimirovich
• Format: Others
• Published: 2020
• Online Access: https://thesis.library.caltech.edu/13636/9/PHD_THESIS_FULL_DMITRIY_ZHUKOV.pdf; Zhukov, Dmitriy Vladimirovich (2020) Facilitating Miniaturized Bioanalytical Assays in Microfluidic Devices. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/x9wq-h920. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:02062020-145031701 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:02062020-145031701>

<p>This work describes several efforts in making microfluidic lab-on-a-chip technology more convenient to use for bioanalysis in limited-resource settings (Chapters 2-3), and describes a device for miniaturized multistep process execution (Chapter 4). One underlying theme of these projects is the streamlining of the 'chip-to-world' interfacing to help bring this technology from specialized labs of its developers into more widespread utilization by potential users in other disciplines. Chapter 2 outlines a portable method for achieving stable fluid pumping for sample loading and flow control in microfluidic devices. Chapter 3 details a method for digital nucleic acid test readout with unmodified smartphone cameras. Chapter 4 demonstrates a lab-on-a-chip platform capable of carrying out complex multiplexed biochemical reactions requiring multiple sequential additions of reagents by performing RNA barcoding for multiplexed cDNA library generation.</p>