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Democratizing digital microfluidics by a cloud-based design and manufacturing platform.

Qining Leo Wang¹, Eric Hyunsung Cho¹, Jia Li¹

¹Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. cjkim@ucla.edu.

|September 2, 2024

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This summary is machine-generated.

Digital microfluidics (DMF) adoption is slow due to design and manufacturing challenges. This study introduces a cloud platform to standardize DMF chip design, fabrication, and control, aiming for wider accessibility.

Area of Science:

Microfluidics
Lab-on-a-chip technology
Digital microfluidics

Background:

Digital microfluidics (DMF) using electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) was expected to revolutionize lab-on-a-chip (LoC) applications but has faced slow commercialization.
Technological and resource barriers in DMF chip and control system development hinder widespread adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

To democratize digital microfluidics (DMF) by creating a standardized design and manufacturing platform.
To introduce a cloud-based platform enabling users to design, obtain, and operate DMF chips.

Main Methods:

Developed a web-based EWOD chip design platform with automated features.
Established a web-based EWOD chip manufacturing platform, demonstrating a foundry service workflow.
Introduced a compact EWOD control system with web-based operating software.

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Main Results:

A proof-of-concept cloud platform (https://edroplets.org) for DMF chip design, manufacturing, and control is presented.
Four types of EWOD chips (glass, paper, PCB, TFT) were fabricated to validate the foundry workflow.
A user-friendly system for DMF chip operation was developed.

Conclusions:

The developed platform addresses key hurdles in DMF adoption.
This initiative aims to foster a comprehensive DMF ecosystem for broader accessibility.
Encourages collaboration among academic and commercial stakeholders to advance DMF technology.