Fighting Cancer with Microfluids
These chips could make a huge difference in how fast we can develop a new drug or nanodrug.
When fighting cancer, speed is of the utmost importance. A microfluidic chip developed by Michigan engineers has enabled a breakthrough in testing the efficacy of specialized cancer drugs. This means getting the right drug to the right patient in a fraction of the time. These chips could make a huge difference in how fast we can develop a new drug or nanodrug.
Until recently, a cancer drug lab screening could test ten variables in one day. A new microfluidic chip developed by Michigan engineers can now test one thousand different variable in one hour. This allows doctors to more quickly identify the best treatment for the individual patient based on their type of cancer and biology. These chips are especially useful for testing photodynamic cancer treatments in which drugs are only activated when exposed to light. This kind of hyper localized cancer treatment reduces the negative side effects of other options, like chemotherapy.
About the Professor
Euisik Yoon is a Professor in both the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering departments at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering. Professor Yoon is also the director of the Solid-State Electronics Laboratory and the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility. His research focuses on MEMS, integrated microsystems, and VLSI circuit design.
Raoul Kopelman, Professor of Chemistry, Physics, Applied Physics, and the Biomedical Engineering departments at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on Autonomous Nano-Devices for Biomedical Applications