Oct 21, 2019

ΣYSTEMS INTEGRATION 2019: Microfluidics has successfully outgrown its infancy – now the focus is on standardization, system integration and process optimization.

Leading European microfluidics experts accepted IVAM Microtechnology Networks invitation to ΣYSTEMS INTEGRATION 2019 and met in Great Britain to discuss current developments.
Source: IVAM
Oct 21, 2019
Microfluidics plays an increasingly important role in industry and in applications for everyday life: the production of chemicals in microreactors is more efficient, controllable and sustainable than in conventional chemical plants. Mobile diagnostic and therapeutic devices are not possible without microfluidic components that process small amounts of fluids. Labs-on-a-chip or organ-on-a-chip have become indispensable in modern laboratories.
 
In order for this to work, many different additional components must be available: (micro-)pumps, sensors, electronic hardware, control and analysis software, etc. Various materials and manufacturing processes are well developed, e.g. injection molding of polymer materials, etching of glass and silicon or mechanical structuring of metal. Novel, high-precision joining techniques are needed to produce small channel systems. Surface modifications are necessary to make the components hydrophilic or hydrophobic, biocompatible or smooth. In all these process steps there are highest demands with regard to tolerances and accuracies.  
 
At the conference "Systems Integration" on October 9, 2019, leading European microfluidics experts met at Microsystems (UK) in England discussing the topic "Microfluidics in Industry and Life". Microsystems is one of the leading manufacturers of injection-molded microfluidic components. The day before, the IVAM Focus Group Microfluidics met to discuss current issues. The meeting and the conference demonstrated the importance of microfluidic products for automated processes in chemistry, biotechnology and medicine.
 
Standardization of microfluidics and optimization of production processes
 
The keynotes by Henne van Heeren, EnablingMNT, and Dr. Peter Hewkin, Center for Business Innovation Ltd., highlighted the economic importance of microfluidics. New concepts, components and applications are mainly developed by SMEs, which in many cases are taken over by large companies after a few years. Standardization is therefore a particularly important aspect, stated van Heeren, in order to enable a broader customer and application base for microfluidic applications. This is especially true for standardized measurement and analysis methods.
 
Although microfluidic components and systems have been used successfully for more than 30 years, there are continuous improvements in production processes. The representatives of the host microsystems UK, Philip Tipler and João Ricardo Goncalves, reported in detail on the production of tools and the subsequent injection molding of high-precision microfluidic plastic components. The corresponding systems were visited by the group participants the day before. Another frequently used material is glass, which is also used for medical and biotechnological applications due to its special chemical resistance in the production of chemicals and its sterilizability, as Dr. Elfi Töpfer from microfluidic ChipShop reported in her presentation. Automation plays a particularly important role in the industrial production of large quantities. Julian Tarrat from PCE Automation presented corresponding concepts.
 
Pulsation-free micropumps enable high-precision transport of liquids
 
Microfluidics thrives on the high-precision transport of liquids. It is therefore not surprising that a number of lectures dealt with the topic of "pumps". Dr. Carsten Damerau of HNP Mikrosysteme GmbH presented high-precision, pulsation-free annular gear pumps for large flows (some L/min) but also very small flows (nl/min). John Watson from startup TTPventus explained his newly developed micropump, which can precisely dose small quantities of liquid and can be used as a disposable component, e.g. in medical applications, due to its low manufacturing price. Nour Yakdi, Fluigent, also emphasized the importance of pulsation-free pumps that must work with other components such as sensors. The topic of pumps was also discussed during the IVAM Microfluidics Focus Group meeting on the previous day. Among other things, it was considered whether standardization, at least of the connections to pumps, would be sensible. The corresponding activities at ISO level are being observed.
 
 
Microfluidics for diagnostics and therapeutic applications

During the conference a number of new applications from research and industry were presented. The presentations of Prof. Gavriilidis, University College London, and Alexander Armitstead, Blacktrace, showed the targeted production of particles in very narrow size distributions, e.g. for therapeutic applications. This production is now well established, although this is not a matter of course. In the early days of microfluidics, there was always a warning against transporting solids in microchannels due to the risk of clogging. The last two lectures by Lars Blohm, Campton Diagnostics, and Dr. Markus-Jürgen Sommer from Fraunhofer IMM showed the development of platforms for diagnostic applications, including mobile rapid detection of infectious diseases.
 
Need for research into system integration and material properties

In summary, it can be said that microfluidics has outgrown its infancy: there are a number of established applications in chemistry, biotechnology and medicine. Nevertheless, there are still a number of open questions that need to be solved in joint developments between research institutions and companies. In particular, there is still a need for research into the integration of components such as pumps and sensors, but also into the selection of suitable materials and the optimization of, for example, surface properties. These topics will be addressed by the IVAM Focus Group during the upcoming meetings.

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