Patent — available for licensing
Microfluidics Pressure-Based Switching and Valving Array
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
Traditionally, laboratory operations in fields such as molecular biology and organic chemistry have required “humans in the loop,” a major inefficiency source and bottleneck for automation. Many lab-on-a-chip devices are designed to perform specific tasks, and do not offer programmable movement of microfluidic-well contents or application-specific reconfigurability. NASA Ames’ researchers have developed a novel method that acts as a microfluidic switch array, determining flow paths using specific logic states achieved through the application of different combinations of pressure and flow conditions to specified valves. This technology facilitates automation of complex laboratory techniques by enabling the programming of any number of sequences by which the contents of microfluidic wells are automatically transferred to specified neighboring chambers, in ways not possible with earlier NASA automated microfluidics technologies.