Small Volume Biochemical Analysis

Student Team

Sponsor: Dennis J. Dietzen
Master of Engineering: Nikki Yap, Ornella Christoffersen, Naraen Palanikumar  
Undergraduates: Shikha Adhikari, Shirley Hua, Isabella Lebovic, Zahra Adamji    

Description

The goal of the project is to build an integrated device that blindly dilutes small liquid volumes for biochemical analysis. The degree of dilution is calculated from a tracer dissolved in the diluent and results corrected for dilution. The measurement system (e.g., optical) must be sensitive enough to detected analyte at sufficiently low (diluted) concentration. The two key technologies in this project are microliter liquid handling and a dedicated electrical (amperometric, potentiometric) or optical (photometric, fluorescent) sensor systems. Deliverabe is a prototype device integrating dilution of a biologic specimen, and measurement of a single diluted (clinical) analyte (corrected for dilution) that might be further optimized and miniaturized for commercial purposes.