Microfluidic Chip

A microfluidic chip refers to an apparatus used in microfluidics applications in which micro-channels have been molded or patterned. The channels forming the chip are connected together to allow fluids to pass through different channels, going from one place to another. This network is connected to the outside environment through inlet and outlet ports.

The liquids (or gases) are injected, managed, and/or removed from the chip passively or actively (pressure / flow controller, syringe pumps, or peristaltic pumps). The channels may have different inner diameters, typically ranging from 5 to 500 µm, but today structures can be fabricated with sub-micrometer precision.

Procedure

Use microelectromechanical processing technology similar to semiconductors to build microfluidic systems on chips.
Transfer the experiment and analysis process to the chip structure composed of interconnected pathways and liquid phase chambers.
After loading biological samples and reaction solutions, micromechanical pumps, electro-hydraulic pumps, and electroosmotic flow are used to drive the flow of the buffer in the chip to form a micro-flow path and perform one or multiple reactions on the chip in succession. The operator generates a low-power electromagnetic field through radio signals.

Types

Chip-in-a-lab
The microfluidic chip is usually connected to a syringe pump using tubes. Fluid is driven into the chip and a physical, chemical, or biological experiment is set. It could be used to separate some particles from other particles, e.g. cancer cells from regular cells.
Lab on a chip
A true lab on a chip, is when the whole action happens in or around the microfluidic chip. Such a system should drive the flow through capillary action, or inline pumps. Then control and process the flow, and give results.
Integrated microfluidic chip
This category is a middle ground between Chip-in-a-lab and Lab on a Chip. The microfluidic chip is usually integrated in an injection molded cartridge, cassette, or kit. The cartridge is then inserted into an analyzer or reader where most of the actuation, sensing and processing takes place.

Features

The effective structure, which houses a fluid, is in micron-scale at least for one dimension
Integrate different functional units for reaction, separation, and detection in a channel network
Work with smaller reagent volumes, shorter reaction times, and the possibility of parallel operation

Applications

Microfluidic detection and analysis chip: common detection areas include blood glucose, cardiovascular, coagulation / thrombolysis, infectious agents, blood gas electrolytes, pregnancy, tumor markers, kidney markers, drugs (abuse), alcohol and other subdivisions
Microfluidic droplet chip: the synthesis and screening of base material
Microfluidic cell / organs chips: manipulate mammalian cells and their microenvironment

Inverted Microscope

An Inverted microscope is a microscope where the objective lenses are mounted below the stage and collect light that travels downward through the specimen to the objectives lenses below to form the magnified image. they do not require specimens to be "fixed" on a slide, thus enabling the magnification of whole organisms, large metal samples and live cells in culture mediums. Even large, heavy industrial samples can be magnified by these devices.

Laboratory Incubator

An incubator is a device used to grow and maintain microbiological cultures or cell cultures. It is made up of a chamber with a regulated temperature. An incubator maintains optimal temperature, humidity, and other conditions such as the CO2 and oxygen content of the atmosphere inside. Incubators are essential for much experimental work in cell biology, microbiology, and molecular biology.

Biochip Analysis Instrument

Microarray scanners are used for automated imaging and analysis of microarrays. Products include full workstation packages, scanners, and parts and accessories. Microarray scanners are widely used in functional biology, cellomics, gene expression and drug discovery research. When buying a microarray scanner, important features to consider are sensitivity, resolution, scan area, rapidity of scan, and ease of use.

Confocal Microscope

Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopes scan samples sequentially point by point, or multiple points at once. The pixel information is assembled into an image. As a result you acquire optical sections with high contrast and high resolution in x, y and z. It has many advantages over traditional microscope including the ability to look deeply into inside cells with less photodamage and photobleach and chart intracellular dynamic events in the living cells.

Thermal Cycler

Thermal Cycler is a laboratory apparatus that amplify segments of DNA using PCR. A thermal cycler is also commonly called a DNA Amplifier, PCR Machine, or Thermocycler. The cycle normally lowers or raises the block's temperature in preprogrammed discrete steps. A thermal cycler is important for a laboratory dealing in molecular biology and gene cloning.

STEMart provides you with a variety of microfluidic chip technology equipment or consumables to meet your various R&D and application needs. If you have any questions or requirements for biochip technology, please feel free to contact us.