Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is offering the opportunity to establish partnerships for further development and commercialization of a fast, continuous-flow separation device for automated sample processing.
Compact devices that can perform rapid and complex analysis on minute biological samples with minimal reagents are appealing for both field and benchtop applications. Sample preparation for such devices, however, remains a critical challenge.
LLNL has developed a high-throughput, flow-through viral enrichment technology advantageous for reducing hands-on time while enriching for the viral content of samples such as serum (clinical), wastewater (industrial), and sea-water (environmental) for subsequent analysis.
The acoustofluidic device design consists of a silicon and glass chip bonded to a piezoelectric plate, optimized using numerical modelling for maximal pressure standing wave amplitude. The device has a unique configuration with subdivided channels to enable high-throughput operation and customized placement of the acoustic pressure node.
Experimental verification has demonstrated high-throughput size-separation of cells and viral particles, and label-free purification of biological samples.
Primary market applications of this device could include liquid biopsy for circulating tumor cells, blood washing in major surgery, platelet separation, cell sample processing for flow cytometry, and discovery (e.g. phage and biomarker selection).
LLNL is seeking industry partners with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. For more information, please visit LLNL’s Industrial Partnerships Office website or contact Kevin Christopher.
Related resources:
- Efficient coupling of acoustic modes in microfluidic channel devices
- Spatial tuning of acoustofluidic pressure nodes by altering net sonic velocity enables high-throughput, efficient cell sorting
- Continuously Variable Node Position in a High-Throughput Acoustofluidic Device (.pdf)
