Tag Archives: biomems

Wikipedia list of academic microfluidics research

It turns out that Wikipedia has an extensive list of academic microfluidics/bioMEMS research groups worldwide. Although the list is long, there are probably many groups missing. I know this because when I first found the page, only one group from MIT was mentioned (there are at least nine). I’ve since remedied that situation — my [...]
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Recent clinical trials of microfluidic devices

After I heard about a clinical trial for a microfluidic device that detects circulating cancer cells, I started wondering how many other microfluidic devices are in clinical trials.  A quick search turned up only seven studies (and two of those were withdrawn). Interestingly, five of the seven trials have some connection to the University of [...]
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Microfluidics for studying cancer metastasis

What causes cancer cells to become metastatic, moving beyond their local environment to infiltrate other parts of the body? Some researchers have called metastasis “the most dangerous event in cancer,” and many believe that a better understanding of metastasis could lead to new cancer treatments. Microfluidics researchers have long been investigating metastasis, because metastasis is all [...]
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Natural technology evolution vs. failed innovation

I loved David Rotman’s recent Technology Review article “Shoveling Water” on why the commercialization of microfluidics has been so slow. (I wrote about it here.) Later I realized it reminded me of an article I read earlier this year by Michael Mandel of Business Week on “The Failed Promise of Innovation in the US.”  [...]
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Technology Review investigates the slow process of microfluidics commercialization

Today Technology Review came out with a great article speculating why the commercialization of microfluidics has been so slow. In “Shoveling Water: Why does it take so long to commercialize new technologies?” David Rotman uses Fluidigm as a case study and adds a twist by applying ideas from W. Brian Arthur’s The Nature of Technology, [...]
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Worth a thousand words

Sometimes there’s no substitute for a demo. In experimental work, techniques are commonly passed on from person to person. (I somehow ended up pipetting left-handed for years because of the single time my left-handed advisor showed me how to do it.) But what if you want to try a protocol that’s new to your lab? [...]
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Microfluidics tackles HIV

In recognition of World AIDS Day today, here’s a highlight of some of the microfluidics work addressing HIV. In particular, Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology professor Utkan Demirci has published several recent papers on using microfluidics for HIV, in addition to work from the Toner lab, Rodriguez lab, Whitesides lab and others. Using microfluidics for point-of-care [...]
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BioMEMS by any other name

In researching microfluidics companies to add to the list, I’ve realized that outside of academia almost no one uses the term BioMEMS when discussing microelectromechanical systems applied to biology. Instead it’s “microfluidics” or “lab on a chip.” The term BioMEMS is a spin-off of the acronym MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems), itself a term that has not [...]
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Joel Voldman on microfluidic manipulation of cells and their environment

Recently I ran across a video of my former advisor at MIT, Joel Voldman, speaking as part of the 2008 CIMIT Summer Education Series: Frontiers of Microfluidics and Microsystems in Biomedical Sciences and Clinical Medicine. In the video below (and available directly from CIMIT here), Joel highlights his group’s work using microfluidic technology and [...]
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Agresti talk on drop-based microfluidic screening

Now that fall is approaching along with the beginning of the academic year, Boston has exploded with activity. There are a ton of upcoming events related to microfluidics/BioMEMS/medicine that I will be highlighting in the next few days. While all of the talks are in the Boston area, links to audio/video recordings will be listed [...]
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