MicroTAS 2020 | October 4-9, 2020

The Industrial Stage will focus on issues, such as:

Scientific and technological challenges which have/ had to be solved
Design and application-related solutions in product development
Experiences learned in transitioning scientific results to a commercial product
Manufacturing solutions for microfluidic-enabled products
Market experiences
Performance of microfluidics-enabled products in comparison to conventional solutions

Each presentation will be 20 minutes with 5 minutes live Q&A.

Monday, October 5

Industrial Stage 1a
Title: FAST IMPEDANCE SPECTROSCOPY FOR CHARACTERIZATION AND COUNTING
Affiliation: Zurich Instruments AG
Presenters: Meng Li, Zurich Instruments AG, SWITZERLAND and Bruno Charléty, Fluigent, FRANCE
Time: 10:45 - 11:10

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Microfluidics benefits greatly from electrical impedance measurements when it comes to measurement speed and sensitivity. In this presentation, we will show how to build a microfluidic electrical impedance spectroscopy platform and include measurement results from an operating microfluidic system. A highly accurate and stable flow rate, critical for most microfluidic applications, is achieved using the LineUp series. The EZ drop can smoothly generate water-in-oil droplets with a wide range of sizes. On the detection part, thanks to the differential current measurement scheme, the HF2LI Lock-in Amplifier can resolve individual flow processes within a 5 µs timeframe, with clearly distinguishable peaks for droplets and microbeads in different sizes. Simultaneous multi-frequency measurements further unveil a full picture of their dielectric properties.

Industrial Stage 1b
Title: WHY ISN'T ELON MUSK DOING MICROFLUIDICS?
Affiliation: microfluidic ChipShop GmbH
Presenter: Holger Becker, Ph.D.
Time: 11:10 - 11:35

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In the commercialization of microfluidics, many challenges exist in the transfer of lab results to a commercially viable product. These challenges range from a design-to-manufacture (DFM), material selection to selecting the right manufacturing method and the modelling of manufacturing cost during scale-up of production. This presentation will guide through this maze of requirements and will explore the question why Elon Musk isn't doing microfluidics.

Industrial Stage 2a
Title: VIVOCHIP: HIGH-CONTENT ANALYSIS OF DISEASE MODELS AND TOXICOLOGY STUDIES USING C. ELEGANS
Affiliation: Newormics LLC
Presenter: Evan Hegarty, M.Eng
Time: 10:45 - 11:10

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Newormics is a developer of high-throughput, high-content, microfluidics-based imaging systems for toxicology screens using small model organisms such as C. elegans, and tissue organoids. C. elegans has organs and tissues, including a complete nervous system, and allows toxicology studies to be caried out at the speed and cost of in vitro screens, but with the rich data and identification of subtle phenotypes of in vivo models. The vivoChip® is a patented microfluidics platform allowing up to ~4,000 C. elegans from 96 individually treated populations to be immobilized for high-resolution imaging within 3 minutes. Here, we present data from developmental and reproductive toxicology (DART), and neurodegeneration studies using C. elegans in the vivoChip®. We used imaging data from a dopaminergic neuronal reporter strain to quantify a toxicant's neurotoxicity based on induced structural phenotypes. We also quantified DART toxicity of chemicals based on their effect on body dimensions and embryo development.

Industrial Stage 2b
Title: NOURISHING, STIMULATING AND MONITORING CELLS WITH MICROELECTRONICS
Biond Solutions B.V.
Presenter: Nikolas Gaio, Ph.D.
Time: 11:10 - 11:35

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Nowadays, biologists must choose between in vivo studies conducted on animals or in vitro screening in the pre-clinical drug testing. However, in vitro model and animals have shown to be inadequate for testing new pharmaceuticals to treat the many diseases that afflict humans. To achieve better medicine, there is a considerable need for more accurate human-representative systems. Therefore, biologists developed high-content 3D tissue models (organoids, patient-derived tissues, etc..). However, they found that maintaining these 3D tissue models alive it is extremely complex in long term studies. In particular, it is fundamental to control oxygen gradients and nutrients using a dynamic system. Bi/ond supports biologists to explore fundamental questions about human health and diseases by providing versatile, dynamic chips that nourish, stimulate and monitor your complex 3D tissues. The approach consists in combining human cells, or patient-derived tissue with the use of microelectronics.

Wednesday, October 7

Industrial Stage 3a
Title: BOOK PUBLISHING @ SPRINGER NATURE
Affiliation: Springer Nature
Presenter: Michael McCabe
Time: 09:40 - 10:05

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This short presentation is designed to introduce potential authors to the basics of publishing a book with Springer Nature.

During the presentation we will look at:

The benefits of publishing a book;
How to publish a book;
Springer as book publisher.

Industrial Stage 3b
Title: Fluigent / BEOnChip: A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO BETTER ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIELD OF ORGAN ON CHIP
Affiliation: Fluigent in partnership with BEOnChip
Presenters: Marine Verhulsel, Fluigent, FRANCE and Rosa Monge, BEOnChip, SPAIN
Time: 10:05 - 10:30

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Organs on chips are the next generation of in vitro models, more complex and physiologically relevant than traditional 2D cell culture. They aim to faithfully reproduce biochemical or biophysical features of the local environment at the cell scale. This multidisciplinary field calls on the expertise of people with knowledge of microfabrication, microfluidics, and biology. To fully address customer needs, BEOnChip and Fluigent have partnered to merge their core competencies and offer complete solutions combining innovative, robust, and easy to use chips with high-performance instruments:

BEOnChip designs and markets Organ on chip and microfluidic devices for cell culture applications to create the next generation of in vitro testing platforms. These allow for the performance of experiments in vitro that were impossible or only possible in vivo before
Fluigent is a world-leading company developing cutting edge microfluidic instruments. Injection, recirculation, perfusion, and sampling are all functions that can be combined and automated to perform any protocol.

Industrial Stage 4a
Title: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS FOR NEW DIAGNOSTIC CONSUMABLE MANUFACTURING
Affiliation: HiComp Microtech (Suzhou) Co., Ltd
Presenter: Yexian Wu, Ph.D.
Time: 09:40 - 10:05

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Over the past decade, the complexity of microfluidic diagnostic consumable has reached a new level, complex laboratory processes can be integrated and automated on-chip, from sample to answer. The range of applications for microfluidic devices is constantly expanding and so are the challenges for manufacturing. This presentation will overview the challenges for microfluidic consumable manufacturing, shows our new technologies that enable features and performance in microfluidic chips that conventional methods have had difficulty to achieve, and share some latest cases of polymer/glass/PDMS microfluidic cartridge.

Industrial Stage 4b
Title: MASKLESS ALIGNER TECHNOLOGY FOR THICK PHOTORESIST APPLICATIONS
Affiliation: Heidelberg Instruments
Presenter: Gregg Moore, B.Sc. Chemical Engineering
Time: 10:05 - 10:30

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Heidelberg Instruments uses several different technologies in our maskless aligners and direct write lithography systems that are beneficial when patterning a variety of photoresists and resist thicknesses. This presentation will provide a brief introduction to the Heidelberg Instruments suite of optical direct write lithography systems and will explore the differences in our technologies and how our systems can be used for a variety of thick resist applications, such as Microfluidics and MEMS, primarily with SU-8 as the photoresist. Detailed technical descriptions of the components that drive the uMLA Tabletop Maskless Aligner and MLA150 Maskless Aligner will be provided along several examples of how these two novel systems can be utilized for a variety of microfluidics and MEMS applications.

Thursday, October 8

Industrial Stage 5a
Title: NANO/ MICRO FLOW SYSTEMS, AND BIOSENSORS
Affiliation: Jobst Technologies GmbH
Presenter: Michael Langenmair, Master Microsystem Technician
Time: 10:20 - 10:45

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At µTAS 2020, Jobst Technologies is presenting its micro-fluidics and biosensor portfolio range along with application examples and fascinating R & D results from EU research projects.

Prospects for numerous disruptive products are the company's growing micro-fluidics portfolio around a reliable micro-pump, which enables miniaturized devices for the life sciences, like small lightweight body attached autonomous analyzers and other Point-of-Need instrumentation.

Typical products' applications in biotechnology and biomedical technology will be shown, like the only continuous monitor for intensive care, which monitors glucose together with lactate online from central blood.

More general, the distinguished sensor and pump performance, which allows whole blood-, subcutaneous-, and rapid analyzer applications will be presented. An important issue will also be the ultra-low volume and flow rates capabilities enabling novel monitoring schemes.

Industrial Stage 5b
Title: A TOOL BOX FOR MICROFLUIDIC SYSTEM INTEGRATION AND ITS APPLICATIONS
Affiliation: PreciGenome LLC
Presenter: Chen Li, Ph.D.
Time: 10:45 - 11:10

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PreciGenome's innovative microfluidic pressure/flow controller and high speed imaging system are useful basic tools for a variety of applications and system integration. Combined with valves, tubing and fitting, reservoir kits, and microfluidic chips, we successfully demonstrated perfusion systems (multiple reagent dispensing or media recirculating perfusion), droplet generation systems, single cell encapsulation systems, nanoparticle synthesis systems, and organ-on-a-chip systems, etc. The microfluidic pressure controller provides pulse-free precise positive and negative pressure. Stable constant flow rates can be set and controlled when used in conjunction with external liquid flow sensors. The high speed imaging system enables researchers to capture images at a speed high enough to be capable of seeing details of fluid action in microfluidics studies. Our high-speed cameras can reach up to 38,000 FPS. PreciGenome also offers custom design and OEM solutions for customers who need microfluidic instrument development and production.

Industrial Stage 6a
HIGH-SPEED IMAGING SOLUTIONS FOR IMAGE CYTOMETRY
Affiliation: Vision Research, AMETEK
Presenter: Kyle D. Gilroy, Ph.D.
Time: 10:20 - 10:45

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There has been rapid development in the area of high-throughput real-time image cytometry. In particular, researchers have been demonstrating that they are capable of imaging cells at rates on the order of 1 - 10 kHz, while at the same time analyzing and generating statistics regarding key cellular phenotypes (size, shape, opacity, elasticity, etc). Much of this success can be attributed to the use of high-speed machine vision cameras coupled with high-throughput frame grabber cards. This combination allows researchers to image cells and process the image data in real time, allowing for the possibility of ultra-fast feedback looping to do sorting, filtering, cell destruction, and more. In this talk, I will discuss the imaging technology that is used to carry out this research, and review some of the key academic literature that ignited this exciting field.

Industrial Stage 6b
COLLABORATION BY DESIGN - HOW TO INTEGRATE PARTNERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND MANUAFCTURING OF NEXT GENERATION DIAGNOSTICS
Affiliation: STRATEC Consumables GmbH
Presenter: Georg Bauer
Time: 10:45 - 11:10

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In COVID times we all would like to contribute to the challenges around better and faster access to more accurate testing. Very few in the industry can realize their ideas in a timely manner by themselves alone. However much we may be tempted to assume that special times require special measures, we should focus on the proven networks of integrators and suppliers which brought highest quality and best time to market, while also providing competitive price points and saleable manufacturing which will create products that prevail in the market, instead of only riding on a first wave. We will describe such successful partnerships and show key pitfalls on the way too.