02/10/2014
Microfluidic device that analyzes tissues and speeds biopsies
The idea is to develop a microfluidic device able to function with tissue samples, which could significantly speed up the process of cancer biopsies.
Previous versions of microfluidic devices have only been able to work with single-celled organisms. To overcome this limitation, I suggest creating a low-cost, credit card-sized device for pancreatic cancer diagnosis that will be able to analyze a whole tissue biopsy for 3D imaging. The silicon device will be equipped with tiny channels that will allow the tissue to pass through and undergo the same series of processes as would occur in a pathology lab, but on a much larger scale. The fluids within the device will propel the tissue through the device without applying too much force, which will also allow clinicians to simply deposit a tissue biopsy acquired with a syringe directly into the device.
Additionally, the resulting 3D image of the sample will provide more complete information on the tumor's cellular makeup.
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