Navigation Links
Novel NIST connector uses magnets for leak-free microfluidic devices
Date:11/18/2009

Like other users of microfluidic systems, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researcher Javier Atencia was faced with an annoying engineering problem: how to simply, reliably and most of all, tightly, connect his tiny devices to the external pumps and reservoirs delivering liquids into the system. While pondering this one day, he randomly picked up two magnets and began playing with them. As the magnets pulled apart and then snapped back together, Atencia realized that he had his solution.

In a paper recently published online in Lab on a Chip,* Atencia and colleagues describe the result of that brainstorm: a new, inexpensive, reusable and highly efficient microfluidic connector. The NIST connector employs a ring magnet with a O-ring gasket on its bottom and a tube in its center set directly atop the inlet or outlet port of a microfluidic channel embedded in a glass chip. A disc magnet on the underside of the chip holds the first magnetand its tubingsecurely in place.

Unlike traditional approaches to connectorssuch as gluing the tubing directly to the chip or mounting a male/female connection with the tubing attached to the male portionthe NIST magnetic connector is reusable; can be positioned anywhere on the chip; and eliminates any possibility of broken bonds that leak, chips cracked during heat curing of the glue, or microfluidic devices turned useless by excess glue entering the channels. Additionally, the reliability, flexibility and fast assembly of the NIST connector compares favorably to a recently developed press-fit system (where springs produce the sealing force) but the magnetic connectors cost hundreds of dollars less to build and operate.

As reported in their paper, the NIST researchers demonstrated the viability of their magnetic connector in a microfluidic device designed to generate liposomes (tiny bubble-shaped membranes that can be used to transport drugs throughout the body), a fairly port-
'/>"/>

Contact: Michael E. Newman
michael.newman@nist.gov
301-975-3025
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Source:Eurekalert  

1

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. UD start-up company prepares to commercialize novel detector for medical, military applications
2. TAXIS Pharmaceuticals licenses novel antimicrobial technology from Rutgers and UMDNJ
3. Novel on-off switch mechanism stops cancer in its tracks
4. University of Miami receives NIH grant to support novel technology for tissue engineering
5. Novel bacterial strains clear algal toxins from drinking water
6. Novel genetic region identified for childhood asthma in Mexicans
7. Novel polymer could improve protein-based drugs
8. Novel mechanism revealed for increasing recombinant protein yield in tobacco
9. La Jolla Institute discovers novel tumor suppressor
10. Got zinc? New zinc research suggests novel therapeutic targets
11. Funxional successfully completes initial clinical trial of FX125L, an anti-inflammatory drug with a novel mechanism of action
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Novel NIST connector uses magnets for leak-free microfluidic devices
(Date:5/17/2013)... An international team of scientists using a ... movement inside a living frog embryo in greater detail ... to advance biological research and the search for new ... the Karlsruher Institut fr Technologie in Germany, in collaboration ... of Energy,s Argonne National Laboratory, released the most precise ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) Program has ... Society (ENDO) 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, ... meant to promote the entry of students, postdoctorates ... of the basic science community and to encourage ... 2013 Annual Meeting. , Awards are given to ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... African-American adults living closer to a fast food restaurant ... who lived further away from fast food, according to ... Center, and this association was particularly strong among those ... published online in the American Journal of Public ... to a fast food restaurant, and among lower-income African-Americans, ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):New X-ray method shows how frog embryos could help thwart disease 2Body mass index of low income African-Americans linked to proximity of fast food restaurants 2Body mass index of low income African-Americans linked to proximity of fast food restaurants 3
... PatientSecure(TM) on Display at Leading Healthcare Conference, ... 20 Identity,management in a busy healthcare ... especially when it must be repeated with ... Inc., a leading supplier of,innovative computer products, ...
... team of researchers led by the Smithsonian Institution has ... to as the hobbit, a 3-foot-tall, 18,000-year-old hominin skeleton, ... Flores. This study offers one of the most striking ... an island remnant of one of the oldest human ...
... Women with low levels of vitamin D have an ... by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health ... American Society for Bone and Mineral Research at the Hawaii ... and colleagues evaluated patient data on 400 women enrolled in ...
Cached Biology News:Fujitsu and HT Systems Partner to Provide Biometric Patient Identity Management 2Fujitsu and HT Systems Partner to Provide Biometric Patient Identity Management 3Fujitsu and HT Systems Partner to Provide Biometric Patient Identity Management 4New research sheds light on 'Hobbit' 2Low vitamin D linked to higher risk of hip fracture 2
(Date:5/17/2013)... (PRWEB) May 17, 2013 Men’s skin is ... La-roche Posay ) and has been known to react ... some men may be far from puberty, other acne causing ... pores, causing breakouts, and threatening skin with unsightly acne scars. ... from Men’s Health on how to reduce and ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... (PRWEB) May 17, 2013 Rust removal is ... and non-metal home items could be damaged. To help rust ... use of its no-scrubbing rust remover it called ... able available with 10% discount. , My Cleaning Products explained ... corroding them or by staining them. The first one, ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... Athens, OH (PRWEB) May 16, 2013 ... freezer manufactured by Global Cooling, Inc., Athens, OH, USA, ... 8, 2013 by the International Society for Biological and ... Australia. The award, given to one product annually, recognizes ... energy efficient ultra-low temperature freezer. The award was ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... Zealand (PRWEB) May 16, 2013 In late ... invited to speak to doctors in China about Appearance ... and NZ, this was her first trip to lecture in ... Hart visited Guangzhou and Fuzhou, home to 12 and 7 ... China is very high at this point in time. As ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Adult Acne Treatment, Probiotic Action Shares New Insight on Why Men’s Skin Scars from Acne and How to Prevent It 2Organic-Based Rust Remover Cuts Down Price by 10%, My Cleaning Products Details Mechanics How to Get the Discount 2Stirling Ultracold Ultra-Low Freezer Wins 2013 Outstanding New Product Award at International Biorepository Conference, Sydney, Australia 2
... the Hyatt Regency Cambridge, ... Massachusetts, ... leading marketplace for expertise, and the Biotechnology Industry,Organization (BIO) announced an ... venture investment community,registered to attend the BIO National Venture Conference, with ...
... Executive Positions, WITTEN, Germany, April 8 Sangui ... its,fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, on April 3, ... with the SEC the company almost tripled its sales,of ... level. In,FY 2006, Sangui yielded sales of approximately USD ...
... DUBLIN, Calif., April 8, 2008 Microchip,Biotechnologies, Inc. ... Centre,for DNA Barcoding (CCDB), at the Biodiversity Institute ... participant to join MBI,s early,access program for the ... is the,first fully automated and integrated system for ...
Cached Biology Technology:Gerson Lehrman Group Extends Partnership With BIO to Provide Scientific Expertise for the First Annual BIO National Venture Conference 2Gerson Lehrman Group Extends Partnership With BIO to Provide Scientific Expertise for the First Annual BIO National Venture Conference 3Sangui BioTech International, Inc., Reports Sales Increase, Continued Losses 2Sangui BioTech International, Inc., Reports Sales Increase, Continued Losses 3Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding to Participate in Microchip Biotechnologies Early Access Program for Microchip-Based DNA Sample Preparation and Cycle Sequencing 2
Ready-to-use; 40mg/ml X-Gal and 32mg/ml IPTG...
This BioSolution package is excellent for doing fluorescence thermal melt experiments on nucleic acids, studies involving biomolecular interactions, protein folding experiments, and more!...
... Error-free cloning of BAC (100+kb), fosmid (40kb), ... insert stability than any othe BAC vector. ... high yields and easy recombinant DNA purification. ... transcription-free (pSMART VC) vectors for the highest ...
MOUSE ANTI RAT RT1Bu / MOUSE Ia:BIOTIN Immunogen: Rat thymocyte membrane glycoproteins...
Biology Products: