Microfluidics in 3-D

Researchers published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the development of a technique to produce microfluidic devices composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with three-dimensional connectivity that could lead to faster and cheaper bioarray production.

Microfluidic devices, which are characterized as having one or more channels with at least one dimension measuring 1 mm or smaller, are used for a multitude of diagnostic applications. Micro-, nano- and picoliter amounts of substances such as whole blood samples, bacterial suspensions and protein or antibody solutions can be fed through the microscopic channels and then be manipulated and analyzed...