Environmental Testing and High-Throughput Screening Devices -
G. Jovanovic (Chemical Engineering), F. Chaplen (Bioengineering), T. Plant (Electrical & Computer Engineering), J. Trempy (Microbiology), B. Paul (Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering), J. Liburdy (Mechanical Engineering), D. Pence (Mechanical Engineering) and W. Kolodziej (Electrical & Computer Engineering)

Recent progress in microscale manufacturing and analytical techniques has opened many exciting avenues for exploring the applications of microscale technologies in bioengineering (biomedical and biochemical engineering) and biological research. Microscale devices have component dimensions on the order of those observed for whole cells or bacteria. Components may also have larger dimensions, but their design and function are dependent on observable phenomena that occur at the microscale scale. Operating at the microscales provides precisely controlled extracellular microenvironments, much faster response times, and increased design flexibility. The shared goal of our research team is to design and build highly miniaturized analytical instruments that take advantage of these operating attributes.

We are currently developing a number of microscale enabling technologies, including bioreactors, valves, switching mechanisms and channel architectures. Initially, these technologies are being integrated with a new class of biosensors (developed here at Oregon State University) to form devices that can continuously monitor the immediate environment for potential human pathogens or toxins. Future devices will be able to screen and analyze biomaterials (single cell organisms, tissues, pharmaceuticals, other biological samples or samples that impact biological processes) for properties of interest.

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