Thermoplastic Chips for Biomedical Applications Dr. Hugo Salmon Insights

April 22, 2025
louise
5133 Views
AF4, Elveflow, Interview, Myelin-on-chip

Dr. Hugo Salmon, Maître de Conférences in Physics at Université Paris Cité, is at the crossroads of physics and biomedicine. His work spans two leading research groups: Healthfex, where he’s building myelin-on-chip platforms, and Nabi, focused on innovations in nanomedicine. In this interview, he gives us an overview into his current projects and how microfluidics is driving biomedical progress.

Microfluidic chips prototyping

A major focus of his work is on microfabrication techniques and translating them into applied solutions. One standout example is his use of Elveflow’s instruments to develop a micrometric version of AF4 (Asymmetric Flow Field-Flow Fractionation), a shift from the traditional millimetric scale that brings big advantages:

reduced costs
improved automation
less sample waste

Thermoplastics over PDMS

Dr. Salmon also emphasizes the importance of material choice in prototyping. He prefers thermoplastics, especially styrenic block copolymers, over PDMS for:

their compatibility with cell culture
reversible bonding
recyclability, making them more suitable for industrial applications

His prototyping work is connected to Elveflow’s O B1 flow controller, ensuring precise and reliable flow control throughout his microfluidic systems. The OB1’s accuracy and responsiveness make it an ideal tool for advanced research applications like his, where consistency and fine-tuned performance are critical.

Keep innovating with microfluidics

His advice for anyone entering the microfluidics world?

Keep it simple.

Start from your application, and let that guide your design and material selection. According to him, the real challenge today is making microfluidics more accessible—a mission Elveflow is proud to support through our upgrade services and hands-on training.

A big thank you to Dr. Hugo Salmon for his trust and remarkable work in pushing the boundaries of microfluidics toward more efficient, scalable technologies. We can’t wait to see the future publications that will come from this exciting research!

Written and reviewed by Louise Fournier, PhD in Chemistry and Biology Interface For more content about microfluidics, you can have a look here.