In the early 1960s, several research groups started working on miniaturized silicon sensors. An early integrated
lab on a chip (LOC) device was a complete gas chromatograph on a single 'chip' developed at Stanford University and published in 1979. This new tool was 'expected to find application in the areas of portable ambient air quality monitors, implanted biological experiments, and planetary probes'. The expectations for LOC have been realized repeatedly in the laboratory and commercial applications are beginning to be realized (Herold and Rasooly 2009. Lab-on-a-Chip Technology. Caister Academic Press ISBN: 978-1-904455-47-9).
In the 1980s and 1990s the
LOC field moved rapidly and in the last decade approximately 3500 LOC related publications are indexed in Pubmed describing numerous fabrication methods and new applications using a broad array of technologies. The trend is towards more complex integrated multi-analyte LOC systems capable of more comprehensive analyses, utilizing advances in electronics and microfabrication that enable miniaturization and broader capabilities. The newest generation of LOC systems includes a miniaturized chip for isolation of rare circulating tumour cells in cancer patients and complex LOC devices utilizing valving technologies that provide dense fabrication and parallel pneumatic actuation of hundreds of valves.
Bibliography:
- Lab-on-a-Chip Technology: Fabrication and Microfluidics
- Lab-on-a-Chip Technology: Biomolecular Separation and Analysis
Labels: lab on a chip, Lab-on-a-Chip Technology, LOC
The term 'laboratory' can be defined as a facility which provides controlled conditions for scientific research, experiments or measurements. In recent years, many
lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices, which provide controlled conditions for scientific measurements without a formal laboratory, have been developed and used in a wide array of biomedical and other analytical settings. LOC devices integrate and scale down laboratory functions and processes to a miniaturized chip format. In this context the term 'chip' is used loosely, unlike the 'traditional' silicon chip from electronics. LOC devices, or chips, can be fabricated from many types of material including various polymers (e.g. acrylic, polyester, and polycarbonate), glass, or silicon, as well as combinations of these materials (Herold and Rasooly 2009. Lab-on-a-Chip Technology. Caister Academic Press ISBN: 978-1-904455-47-9).
In this context the term 'chip' is used loosely, unlike the 'traditional' silicon chip from electronics. LOC devices, or chips, can be fabricated from many types of material including various polymers (e.g. acrylic, polyester, and polycarbonate), glass, or silicon, as well as combinations of these materials. Unlike the 'traditional' silicon integrated circuit (IC) fabrication technologies, a broad variety of fabrication technologies are used for LOC device fabrication.
Bibliography:
- Lab-on-a-Chip Technology: Fabrication and Microfluidics
- Lab-on-a-Chip Technology: Biomolecular Separation and Analysis
Labels: biochip, lab on a chip, LOC, microfluidics
Biofuel is a potential alternative energy source to petroleum based fuel. The bacterium
Zymomonas mobilis is an efficient ethanol producer and is better than yeast (
Saccharomyces cerevisiae) with respect to ethanol productivity and tolerance.
Z. mobilis possesses nearly 100% theoretical ethanol conversion rate on glucose-based media, while it has only about 70% theoretical yield from sucrose. The reduced ethanol yield has been attributed to the formation of by-products such as
polysaccharides. The efficiency of ethanol production by
Z. mobilis from sucrose-based substrates can be improved by limiting the formation of
polysaccharides by optimizing the fermentation conditions or by genetic improvements of
Z. mobilis.
from Geetha et al
in Bacterial Polysaccharides: Current Innovations and Future TrendsLabels: bioethanol, biofuel