Friday, February 23, 2007
Time TBA
Professor Todd Thorsen
Department of Mechanical Engineering
M.I.T.
ÒMicrofluidic Tools for Cell BiologyÓ
Abstract:
The need for faster and cheaper technologies to extract biological information, both at the molecular and cellular levels, has driven the trend to miniaturize laboratory techniques in the last two decades. The ability to precisely control parameters such as substrate, flow rate, buffer composition, and surface chemistry in microfluidic devices makes them ideal for a broad spectrum of cell biology-based applications, ranging from the high-throughput screening (HTS) of single cells to multi-dimensional scaffolds for tissue and organ culture. In this talk, I will discuss recent advances in my laboratory in the design of microfluidic devices for bacterial and mammalian cell culture. Taking a bottom-up approach, I will begin the talk with a discussion of the need for fluid dynamics modeling in device design, and conclude with some examples of some integrated platforms for applications like cytotoxicity screening and biofilm formation.