Student Projects
Contact Information
University: Université Joseph Fourrier, LTM-CNRS, Grenoble, France,
Team Member(s): Thibault Honegger
Faculty Advisors: David Peyrade
Email Address: Thonegger@gmail.com, david.peyrade@cea.fr
Project Information
Title: Piloting Platform for Micro-Robot Handling (MicroPilot)
Description:
A smart colloidal particle, a 1 µm polystyrene particle that is structured on a chemical and physical point of view, is injected into a microfluidic chip embedded with a matrix of electrodes. Controlling the spatio-temporal localisation of the AC electric field allows a precise 4D handling of those smart particles so that they can interact with human cells.
Using Labview to control an electro-microfluidic plateform and the localisation of the electric field, we have achieved a precise localisation of colloidal particles which can interact with cells in order to achieve targetted drug delivery systems or tissue engineering.
Products:
Use of NI Labview, NI Vision, NI DAQmx
The Challenge:
- Overpass the Brownian motion of colloidal particles
- Be able to place them at deterministic position in 3D in a microfluidic chip embedded with electrodes. The force acting on the particle is called dielectrophoresis. The method used is called mobile pulsed dielectrophoresis, schematically explained:
The Solution:
- A original technology was developped based on Lab-On-Chip processes. Electrodes are embedded directly in the microfluidic chip and are made of ITO, which conductes electricity and is transparent in visible light:
- The chip is then inserted into an electro-microfluidic plateform consists in:
- Leica microscope modified for bright field, dark field, fluorescence and LED transmission
- Fluidic module: capable of injection 100 µL solution from 0.1 – 10000 pL/s
- Interfaced with Labview via an CANUSB link
- Electric module: capable of rerouting 2 AC/DC signals to 112 electrodes
- Interfaced with Labview via a USB-RS232 link
- Visualisation module: Particle Tracking Velocity system
- Interfaced with Labview via NI-IMAQ Vision
- The Labview program is capable of:
- Deliver a constant pressurized flow into the microfluidic chip
- Reroute 2 AC signals generated by 2 generators (independantly controled) to a matrix of 53*53 electrodes
- Program a sequence of AC signals rerouting
- Real-time control of the path of nanoparticles via a Playstation Joystick
- Visualization and grab
- The motion of colloidal particles can be achieved thanks to the precise spatio-temporal synchronization of the AC signals and the application on the active electrodes. The 10 µm polystyrene particle trajectory writes 'LoC' as 'Lab-on-Chip'. The trajectory is overlapped by a home-made NI-Vision porgram capable of PTV.
- By coupling those particles with cells, drug delivery systems can be achieved such as : delivery of specific durg to a cancer cell or phagocytosis of si-ARN coupled particles (work under publication)
- When coupled with fibronectin, particles can be used as sensors to interact with cells and induce cell differenciation when working with steam cells (work under publication)
