Introduction to Lab-on-a-chip Systems
EEMN21
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.
Registered students can access the course contents by logging into Canvas.
![Microfluidic system](/fileadmin/biomedicalengineering/Personal_folders/Per_Augustsson/ChipAndFlowDSC_0124_web_82a61fa135.jpg)
What is microfluidics?
Fluids behave differently on the microscale compared to what we are used to on the macroscale. One example can be seen in this video of how how narrow channels prevent turbulance (external link). Instead, liquid layers flow side by side as laminas.
What is a lab-on-a-chip?
Microfluidics is used to miniaturize lab procedures to the microscale and integrate them into chips, similar to chip-integrated circuits in a computer.
These are some examples:
The course
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
Five steps to microfluidics
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 (EEMN26, 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:
Microfluidics company examples in Sweden: