Enabling technologies for multiplexed biomolecule analysis and cell sorting

The quantification and manipulation of biological entities from a physiological sample is extremely important for a broad range of applications in medical diagnostics, therapeutics, and basic science research. From a diagnostics standpoint, the cells, proteins, and nucleic acids that compose our bodies contain an enormous amount of information that can indicate the presence of, progression of, or even susceptibility to a given disease. However, extracting this information is often quite challenging. New tools are constantly being developed to make diagnostic testing more accurate, less invasive, faster, and less expensive. To this end, this thesis describes that advent of technologies to (1) precisely pattern biologically- and magnetically-active beads in hydrogel substrates for cell sorting and pattering, (2) synthesize morphologically and chemically-complex microparticles in a high-throughput fashion, and (3) perform rapid and accurate multiplexed biomolecule quantification using such particles. Bead-Patterned Hydrogels are a class of materials developed in this thesis that consist of microbeads precisely patterned in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) matrices. Using microfluidics and projection lithography on a standard microscope, magnetically-active or protein-decorated beads were patterned in close-packed or disperse-bead patterns on glass substrates with high resolution over large areas. Using slight alterations to ... bio-inert PEG matrix, or exposed from the PEG surface. It was shown that bead-patterned hydrogels could be used for the phenotype-specific sorting or patterning of lymphocytes. As was observed in the synthesis of bead-patterned hydrogels, free-radical polymerization is inhibited near microfluidic channel walls due to oxygen diffusion through the porous polydimethoxysilane (PDMS) elastomer composing devices.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Chemical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2008

Author dc:creator

• Pregibon, Daniel Colin

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Patrick S. Doyle and Mehmet Toner.

• Chemical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/43215
• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Identifier URI

http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/43215

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/43215