Hot news about microfluidics - may 2024

This month, we present 3 very promising and exciting projects about microfluidics!

Design your own 3D-printed microfluidic setup with this open source platform!

Microfluidics and 3D printing hold immense promise for advancing biology, chemistry, and medicine, yet designing 3D-printed microfluidic devices remains a daunting task. Flui3d, an innovative software platform, aims to simplify this process, offering a user-friendly interface, a parameterized component library, and multi-layer design support. By integrating a unique Design-for-Manufacturing function, Flui3d enables seamless fabrication using commercial 3D printers, democratizing the creation of complex microfluidic devices without requiring specialized expertise!

SPEED: Revolutionizing DNA testing with your smartphone?

Imagine a world where you would be able to perform your own PCR testing with your… smartphone? This may not be of any sci fi movie anymore with a recent study presenting SPEED, a smartphone-based digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) device. Connected to a smartphone, SPEED validated the temperature control of PCR cycle needs, functional optical system and rigorous data analysis. This new biotechnology was successfully tested with various DNA targets such as COVID-19 or pancreatic cancer highlighting its extensive potential for molecular diagnosis!

Check out Haoqing Zhang et al. work for more info!

Machine learning to predict your droplet size?

By combining machine learning with the Rain Optimization Algorithm (ROA), researchers have significantly enhanced the accuracy and speed of predicting droplet sizes in microfluidics. Their innovative hybrid model achieves a remarkable R2 of 0.937, solving prediction problems in just four seconds, far surpassing traditional methods. Additionally, using SHAP in Explainable AI, this approach provides deep insights into the impact of input parameters on droplet size, offering valuable, cost-effective information that would be challenging to obtain through experiments.

Check out Faezeh Eslami and Reza Kamali recent publication for more info!

Need to calibrate your microfluidic experiment? Determine your flow rate, pressure and tubing resistance with our tool : the microfluidic calculator!