Final Activity Report Summary - M-FLUSTASD (Micro Fluidic Total Analysis System Design) The objective of training for all fellows was to provide training for four early stage researchers (ESRs), focussing on the design of micro total analysis systems, specifically for the development of microfluid platforms for the genetic diagnosis of leukaemia. Training took place via formal courses and informal interaction between the various researchers in the Institute, including transfer of knowledge experienced researchers hosted under another Sixth Framework Programme project. Three out of four ESRs were successful. Delays were encountered due to recruitment issues. Magali Forget, an ESR researcher from France, investigated sample preparation for micro polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using three-way liquid bridges. This involved forming nanolitre droplets at the end of three 90 degree micro-capillaries and exploiting the instability of a liquid bridge to achieve very rapid dynamic mixing of the reagents contained in each droplet. She used high speed cameras to study the droplet mixing mechanics. The output was one single pre-mixed nanolitre droplet containing target deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ddNTPs, polymerase, primer and fluorescent tags which could be transferred to undergo amplification in a micro-PCR thermocycler. One journal and two conference papers accrued from her research. Shiju Joseph, an ESR researcher from India, investigated means of obtaining and quantifying local microfluid concentration and cell morphological information in a microfluidic device. Co-supervised by an adjunct professor from a collaborator at the joint research centre, he applied heterodyne micro-interferometry to quantify microlens morphology and conducted preliminary measurements on onion and epithelial cell lines. He commenced his research late, due to unforeseen recruitment delays, and he was incorporating the heterodyne methodology into laboratory bench microscope platforms by the time of the project completion. Until then, he had produced one journal, two conference and one poster paper. Stefano Chiavaroli, an ESR researcher from Italy, investigated local fluid velocity extraction using particle image verification (PIV) in microchannels when the measurement depth was of similar order to the depth of the channel. This was a common occurrence in microdevices. He also developed a novel way of dispensing a uniform and consistent number of biological cells into microdevices. This provided an order of magnitude improvement in accuracy over the destructive trypan blue assay. He commenced his research late, owing to unforeseen recruitment delays. He was investigating a three-dimensional method of cell focussing on facilitate micro-cytometry by the time of the project completion. Until then, he had produced one journal, three conference and two poster papers.
