Microfluidics, Microwave Sensing and Microfluidics Enabled Soft Robotics for Biomedical Applications with Dr. Carolyn Ren
Dr. Carolyn Ren is a Professor of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo (UW) and a Tier I Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Microfluidic Technologies. She leads Waterloo Microfluidics Laboratory, where her team develops cutting-edge microfluidic solutions for health, environmental monitoring and assistive technologies. An elected Member of the Canadian Institute of Engineering, the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Scientists and Artists, Dr. Ren has been recognized among Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women and as one of the country’s top female innovators. She is also a serial entrepreneur, co-founding four start-ups, including Advanced Electrophoresis Solutions, QuantWave Technologies, Air Microfluidic Systems, and Strivonix.
Abstract
Microfluidics exploits fluids and their physical and chemical properties at the microscale, enabling miniaturized platforms that offer lower cost, faster pace, higher performance, and increased portability than their macroscale counterparts. This talk will briefly discuss three research themes including droplet microfluidics, microwave sensing and soft robotic wearable systems.
- Two-phase droplet microfluidics employs monodispersed water-oil emulsions as mobilized test tubes to perform high throughput analysis (HTA). Despite numerous novel technologies reported, the adoption of droplet microfluidics as an HTA tool by non-microfluidics experts has not been seen. Modular-based droplet microfluidics, enabling easy assembly of application-specific systems, presents tremendous potential to break this barrier. This talk will introduce our work towards this goal including, a suite of physical models that can serve as design tools for passive-based droplet modules such as droplet generators, mergers, sorters and heaters, and a unique active droplet microfluidics method that relies on visual feedback of droplet position to actuate a pressure source to actively control individual droplets realizing functional modules.
- Simultaneous sensing and heating of individual droplets are critical but very challenging. Microwave resonators present tremendous potential to meet this need which will be the second part of this talk. Microwave sensors functionalized with antibodies, aptamers and polymers finds various applications beyond droplet microfluidics. Its applications for the detection of virus such as SARS-CoV-2 and E. coli as well as metal ions will be discussed.
- Soft robotic wearable systems offer hope to improve the quality of life for those in need because of their compliance nature. Most existing systems are expensive, power intensive and tethered to external power sources, limiting user mobility. Microfluidics enables miniaturization of the system including its front end (e.g. wearable sleeves) and back end (control unit), translating to low cost, tetherless and energy-efficient operation. This talk will present wearable sleeves for treating lymphedema, arthritis, and pressure ulcers due to the ill fit of prosthetic sockets.
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