Welcome to Introduction to Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-chip Systems. This course gives you an overview of how various chemical and biological lab tests can be miniaturized into lab-on-a-chip systems. The course covers some theoretical background as well as many examples of applications within chemistry, biotechnology and medicine. You also get to try yourself in lab exercises and a short project.

The schedule, reading instructions, lab instructions and more can be found by clicking the sub-pages in the menu to the left. Microfluidics is introduced below.    

Fluids behave differently on the microscale compared to what we are used to on the macroscale. Narrow channels prevent turbulence, instead liquid layers flow side by side as laminas, as in this video.

Microfluidics is used to miniaturize lab procedures to the microscale and integrate them into chips, similar to chips in a computer.

These are some examples:

• Organs-on-a-chip (video)
• Lung-on-a-chip (video)
• Nanopore DNA sequencing (video)
• Droplet by droplet analysis (video)
• Moving droplets on electrodes (video)
• Heart attack detection chip (video)
• Lab-on-a-CD (webpage, video)
• Influenza detection chip (Scientific American article)

This course contains:

• how lab tests can be miniaturized to chips
• applications within chemistry, biology and medicine
• how liquids behave on the microscale
• tools for simulating microfluidics
• how microfluidic chips are fabricated
• hands on lab exercises where you study laminar flow, diffusion, acoustic forces and droplet generation
• research article discussions
• a short project with a researcher

More details about the various parts of the course can be found by clicking the subpages to the left.

1. Introduction to microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip systems (EEMN21, LP 1)

• How liquids behave on the microscale
• Applications within chemistry, biology and medicine
• Simulating microfluidics
• Hands on lab exercises
• A short project with a researcher

2. Lab-on-a-chip in biomedical applications (EEMN25, LP 4)

• Deeper discussion of biomedical applications

• Guest lectures from companies

• Guest lectures by international researchers

• Lab exercise in a research lab

• A longer project with a researcher

3. Experimental Biophysics (FFN20, LP 3-4)

4. Master's thesis 

5. Research as a PhD student or product development in a company

Microfluidics research examples:

• Moving cells with sound (LTH)

• Ecology-on-a-chip (LU/LTH)

• DNA stretching and cell manipulation with micropillars (LU)

• Organs-on-chip and cell analysis (Uppsala)

• Droplet microfluidics (KTH)

• Chemical analysis on a chip (Copenhagen University)

• Optofluidics and polymer systems (DTU Copenhagen)

Microfluidics company examples in Sweden:

• HemoCue

• Gyros

• q-linea

• GE Helthcare Life Science (Biacore SPR systems)