You’ve followed our journey at the MNE 2024 conference, and now it’s time to dive into the largest Microfluidic Conference of the year—MicroTAS 2024, hosted in Montreal, Canada. Let’s get into the details with Elveflow as we bring you the latest highlights from this exciting event. With 6 world-renowned plenary speakers, 18 keynotes, 99 oral sessions, and an astounding 852 posters, this year’s conference covered hot topics such as:
John Rogers form Northwestern University, the first plenary speaker on Monday at MicroTAS 2024, presented his research on Microfluidic total analysis systems for the skin. With a Ph.D. from MIT and a background in physics and chemistry, Prof. Rogers focuses on developing wearable devices for non-invasive health monitoring. His work enables real-time analysis of sweat biomarkers, such as ketones for diabetic ketoacidosis and lactate for athletic performance. These biosensors hold great potential for healthcare, offering an accessible, non-invasive way to monitor and diagnose conditions, improving disease management and early detection.
Bin Liu, Deputy President of Research and Technology at the National University of Singapore, delivered the second plenary on Monday afternoon, titled “Organic Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications”. Prof. Liu, an internationally recognized expert in organic functional materials, highlighted her work on using nanomaterials for medical applications, such as cancer treatment with photothermal agents and photodynamic therapy, as well as CO2 transformation using Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs). Co-founder of LuminiCell, her research translates directly into innovations for targeted disease treatment and sustainability, marking significant progress in biomedical technology.
Ulf Landegren from Uppsala University, presented his work on “Tools to Analyze Very Few and Very Many Molecules”. Known for his expertise in DNA sequencing, molecular genetics, and molecular diagnostics, Prof. Landegren’s research focuses on developing advanced detection methods for molecules. His recent work includes monitoring SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in dry blood using antibody proximity extension assay (AbPEA), as well as super rolling circle amplification (superRCA) for leukemia patients. Prof. Landegren also focuses on the use of magnetic bead-based proximity extension assays for the sensitive detection of proteins and extracellular vesicles, highlighting innovations in molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine.
Jennifer A. Lewis from Wyss Institute at Harvard University delivered the Wednesday plenary at MicroTAS 2024, focusing on “Building Vascularized Kidney Tissues for Drug Testing, Disease Modeling, and Therapeutic Use”. Prof. Lewis, a leading figure in bioengineering, highlighted the complexity of kidney structures, and its relevance for drug testing. Her research showcased vascularized kidney organoid chips, where flow promotes the maturation of organoids and enhances endogenous vascularization. Prof. Lewis explained how vascularized proximal tubules become more mature under controlled flow, improving capillary-tubule proximity and boosting organoid development. This work is critical for creating functional kidney tissues that could potentially replace dialysis for the 780,000 patients suffering from kidney failure. A key innovation is the Sacrificial Writing into Functional Tissue (SWIFT) technique, which controls lumen diameter and aims to create human-sized kidney tissues for therapeutic use.
Hatice Altug from EPFL Lausanne gave a talk on Wednesday afternoon about “Nanophotonic Lab-on-Chip Systems for Biomedical Applications”. As a leader in nanophotonics and optical biosensors, Prof. Altug highlighted her work on integrating microfluidics with nanophotonic technologies for advanced diagnostics. Her recent research focuses on plasmonic oligonucleotide monitoring, high-Q dielectric metasurfaces, and plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy, offering innovative solutions for point-of-care diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and food safety. These systems promise more sensitive and efficient tools for biomedical applications.
Dennis Lo from the Chinese University of Hong Kong delivered the final plenary at MicroTAS 2024, titled “Non-Invasive Prenatal and Cancer Detection by Plasma DNA Analysis: From Dream to Reality”. A pioneer in liquid biopsy for cancer detection, Prof. Lo works on detecting nasopharyngeal carcinoma and using genome-wide approaches for screening multiple cancers. His research focuses on long cfDNA (circulating free DNA) in plasma, with clinical potential in prenatal testing and oncology. Prof. Lo emphasized the challenges of long-read sequencing, particularly its high cost and low throughput, but noted ongoing advancements such as PacBio’s Revio sequencer and ONT’s improved sequencing kits. These efforts, combined with software innovations like PacBio’s DeepConsensus, are pushing the field toward more efficient and accurate diagnostics, bringing non-invasive detection closer to clinical reality.
At this year’s MicroTAS conference, several posters stood out for their innovative applications in microfluidics, and we were particularly excited to see Elveflow products featured in one of them.
Yusuke Asagoe presented his poster titled “Diffracted X-ray Tracking Method for Analyzing the Sequential Dynamic Motion of Ion Channels in Response to a Chemical Stimulus”. His research focuses on analyzing the gating motion of single molecular ion channel proteins in response to chemical stimuli. We were thrilled to see Elveflow products being used in his work, and we look forward to updates as his research progresses.
In terms of creativity and accessibility, a couple of projects caught our attention. Tymon Janisz presented a 3D-printed biocompatible mouthguard with a microfluidic drug dispenser, a highly original approach to drug delivery. Another standout was DB Hatchett’s CandyCollect, a lollipop-inspired saliva sampling device for remote respiratory pathogen sampling, particularly focused on parent-child dyads (pairs of parents and their children studied together to understand interactions, behaviors, or health factors within the relationship). These projects not only push the boundaries of microfluidics but also make scientific advancements more accessible and impactful. Hats off to these researchers for their hard work and unique contributions!
Elveflow was thrilled to be part of MicroTAS 2024, where we had the chance to engage with our valued customers and meet potential future clients. This year, we partnered with Cairn Imaging Solutions, showcasing their modular microscope alongside our comprehensive range of microfluidic products. Attendees experienced firsthand how our OB1 flow controller, flow and pressure sensors, and valve systems can be seamlessly integrated into versatile microfluidic setups for high-precision applications. Our interactive demonstrations offered an in-depth look at how these tools can be used to optimize microfluidic experiments, giving visitors an engaging, hands-on experience.
We were also thrilled to announce our partnership with WPI as our new global distributor at MicroTAS and enjoyed valuable team-building moments with their team throughout the event. The enthusiastic response from everyone who visited our booth reaffirmed the growing interest in our cutting-edge microfluidic technologies.
Microfluidics is set to revolutionize key areas of research and healthcare:
These advancements are shaping the future of diagnostics, therapy, and sustainability, driving more accessible and precise solutions globally.
A big thank you to everyone who took the time to connect with us during MicroTAS 2024. Once again, it was a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge, build connections, and contribute to this vibrant scientific community, all within the framework of an excellently organized event. We look forward to meeting you during our next Conference!
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