Labs on the chip

US researchers have designed a on-chip lab that can be programmed to perform a variety of tasks.

Chuang and Amin use microscopes and other devices to monitor lab activities on the chip. - Image: Purdue.edu

This achievement is a step toward extending the use of micro-analytical tools to measure and calculate everything from blood sugar to viruses, from bacteria to genes.

The development of 'on-chip lab' technology is costly and time consuming because each chip has to be designed to perform certain tests or chemical analyzes. Scientists at Purdue University have developed hardware and software to create a more versatile chip. It can be programmed for a variety of tasks. Engineering professor Steven T.Weleley - along with his colleagues Han-Sheng Chuang and Ahmed Amin - is in the process of building a prototype at the Birck Nanotechnology Center at Purdue University's Creative Park.

The 'on-chip lab' technology is now used for a variety of medical and research applications, including computation of one's cells and molecules in the blood, tracking microorganisms such as micro- bacteria and fungus in the environment, the separation of biological molecules for laboratory analysis ... But these chips, which are only palm or smaller, are difficult to design and manufacture.

The new chip is made of a rubber-like polymer called olydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), instead of silicon or hard glass. "We chose to make the chip with PDMS because it is easier to manufacture and lower costs compared to other materials such as silicon and glass," Chuang said. Purdue University's chips can mix, store, heat, and sense what samples are made of, while previous chips were limited to mixing and storing samples.