Monday, October 22, 2018

3:00pm - 4:00pm

Whole Blood Microfluidics: From Blood Fractionation to Liquid Biopsy

Abstract The use of liquid biopsy for minimally invasive bioanalysis is revolutionizing healthcare, with particular promise in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Microfluidic devices based on inertial microfluidic approaches are receiving considerable attention for applications in liquid biopsy due to their label-free nature. However, the existing approaches to isolate, and analyze liquid biopsy samples are complex and deliver limited throughput, making them challenging to deploy as routinely-used tools. Further, many of these devices rely on sample dilution, which makes operation and deployment even more challenging. We are developing a microfluidic platform capable of label-free separation from unmodified whole blood samples to rapidly screen rare cell populations or fractionate blood cells. I will describe these efforts and provide a broader perspective of challenges and opportunities for microfluidic technologies in the areas of whole blood microfluidics for liquid biopsy and personalized medicine.

Biography

Ian Papautsky received a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University in 1995, a PhD in Bioengineering in 1999 from the University of Utah. He joined the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he is now Richard and Loan Hill Professor in the Department of Bioengineering. Prof. Papautsky is Co-Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Advanced Design and Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidics (CADMIM). Prof. Papautsky's research focuses on the use of microfluidics in point-of-care sensor systems and lab-on-a-chip cell separations. He has published over 200 research papers, book chapters and patents, and has presented over 100 lectures at conferences, universities, and government/industrial laboratories. In recognition of his work, Prof. Papautsky has received numerous awards and honors, including the Ohio Bioscience 30 in Their 30s award (2007); the Distinguished Engineering Researcher award (University of Cincinnati, 2009, 2015); and the Excellence and Service Award from the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE; 2005, 2007), the College of Medicine Departmental Award at the University of Illinois at Chicago (2018). He is Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the Royal Chemical Society (RSC).