Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 5, 2026
10:45
A Femtoliter Droplet Array for Massively Parallel Protein Synthesis from Single DNA Molecules
Published on: June 20, 2020
10.8K
Customizing droplet contents and dynamic ranges via integrated programmable picodroplet assembler
Pengfei Zhang1, Aniruddha Kaushik2, Kuangwen Hsieh2
11Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 USA.
Microsystems & Nanoengineering
|October 23, 2019
Summary
This study introduces a programmable picodroplet assembler for customized droplet generation in microfluidic devices. This innovation enables high-throughput, on-demand analysis of single samples against multiple reagents for advanced biological research.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Microfluidics
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Droplet microfluidics offers high-throughput, high-sensitivity analysis for biological and biochemical reactions.
- Current platforms lack the ability to customize droplet contents for multi-condition testing.
- This limits the analysis of single samples against diverse reagents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a microfluidic platform for customized picoliter-droplet generation.
- To enable combinatorial analysis of samples against multiple reagents on-demand.
- To integrate generation, incubation, and detection in a single device.
Main Methods:
- Developed a fully Integrated Programmable Picodroplet Assembler.
- Utilized microvalves and flow-focusing for precise control of nanoliter plugs.
- Assembled picoliter droplets in situ from controlled nanoliter plugs.
Main Results:
- Achieved customized picoliter-droplet group generation on demand.
- Enabled precise control over droplet content and volume.
- Demonstrated continuous generation, incubation, and detection of multiple droplet groups.
Conclusions:
- The developed platform combines microvalve precision with droplet microfluidic throughput.
- This automated monolithic device offers enhanced capabilities for combinatorial analysis.
- Potential applications include single-cell and single-molecule analyses.
