Droplet Microfluidic Tools for High Throughput Biotechnology

Microfluidic technologies have opened up new possibilities for ultra-low volume, and ultrafast assays, compared to bulk-scale counterparts. We have been focused on developing new tools for droplet microfluidics that automate procedures like reagent addition and removal, solid phase extraction, and droplet sorting that can act as plug-and-play components to achieve multi-step analytical processes. Recent advances in droplet microfluidics from our lab will be covered in this talk, including both fundamental device developments and applications in miniaturized assays for protein activity and epigenetic screening, among others.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand fundamentals of microfluidics and applications for high throughput (bio)chemistry

2. Identify enabling capabilities of droplet microfluidics for compartmentalized profiling.

3. Explain various applications of droplet microfluidics for epigenetic profiling, cell sorting, and high throughput biotechnology.