Archive for September, 2015

5th Workshop on Microfluidics

The 5th Workshop on Microfluidics was held on the National Center for Research on Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, Sao Paulo (Brazil), from July 23-24, 2015. Since 2011, the workshop has brought together young students, researchers, and companies from different states of Brazil to discuss topics related to fundamentals, fabrication technologies, innovations, and applications in microfluidic science. This field has been spread out around different regions of Brazil presenting outstanding contributions for microfabrication and microfluidic technologies.

The event was supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for the third time. Representing the scientific board of the V Workshop on Microfluidics, Prof. Charles Henry from Colorado State University, USA, presented the awards to the three best works which were awarded by the RSC .

Analyst Award was awarded to Eduardo L. Rossini, from Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara (Brazil), for the work “Simultaneous determination of uric acid and creatinine using μPAD”. Furthermore, Roger Cardoso Moreira, from Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia (Brazil), received the Analytical Methods Award for the work “Adaptation of a commercial electrophoresis system for quaternary amines separation in microchips”. Lastly, the Lab on a Chip Award was given to Houari Cobas Gomez, from Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas, Sao Paulo (Brazil), for the work “3D focalization LTCC microfluidic device for nanoparticle synthesis by nanoprecipitation”.

On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to thank the support received from the RSC.

Sincerely yours,

Angelo Luiz Gobbi

Microfabrication Laboratory – LNNano

Graphical Abstract
Opening of the V Workshop on Microfluidics,  Prof. Carlos Alberto Pacheco (general director of CNPEM) and Prof. Osvaldo de Oliveira (IFSC-USP) on microphone.

Graphical Abstract

Analyst Award was granted to Eduardo L. Rossini, from Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara (Brazil), for the work “Simultaneous determination of uric acid and creatinine using μPAD”. Others are: Prof. Charles Henry (Colorado State), Prof. Alberto Fracassi (UNICAMP) and Angelo Gobbi


Graphical Abstract

Roger Cardoso Moreira, from Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia (Brazil), received the Analytical Methods Award for the work “Adaptation of a commercial electrophoresis system for quaternary amines separation in microchips”. Others: Prof. Charles Henry (Colorado State), Prof. Alberto Fracassi (UNICAMP) and Angelo Gobbi (LMF/LNNano)


Graphical Abstract

Lab on a Chip Award was given to Houari Cobas Gomez, from Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas, Sao Paulo (Brazil), for the work “3D focalization LTCC microfluidic device for nanoparticle synthesis by nanoprecipitation”.  Others: Prof. Charles Henry (Colorado State), Prof. Alberto Fracassi (UNICAMP) and Angelo Gobbi (LMF/LNNano)

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SERS based magnetic immunoassay for cancer biomarker HE4

Schematic diagram of magnetic immunoassay based on SERS

Women with gynaecological malignancies are at high risk of developing ovarian cancer (OC). OC does not show any symptoms in the early stages, resulting in a delay in detection and definite diagnosis is obtained in the later stages. At present, ultrasonic imaging and assay of biomarkers (e.g. Human epididymis protein 4, HE4 ) are used for the diagnosis of OC. But the ultrasonic imaging can not discriminate between benign and malignant tumours and the immunoassays are time consuming, require sophisticated equipment and skilled professionals. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of a sensitive method for trace assay of biomarkers such as HE4. Jianlin Yao and colleagues from the Soochow University have developed a new approach based on surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and a magnetic immunoassay technique for rapid detection and separation of HE4 with high sensitivity and selectivity. ‘ The immuno nanoparticles studied could be developed as reagent kits in the clinical diagnosis of cancer’, opines Jianlin Yao. To learn more about the study, read the full article for free* by following the link given below.

Ultra-sensitive magnetic immunoassay of HE4 based on surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Ming Ge, Chao Wei, Minmin Xu, Congwei Fang, Yaxian Yuan, Renao Gu and Jianlin Yao
Anal. Methods, 2015, 7, 6489-6495
DOI: 10.1039/C5AY00977D

About the webwriter
Sushil Benke is a graduate student under the supervision of Dr. H. N. Gopi in the Department of Chemistry at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune. His research focuses on the development of novel antimicrobial peptidomimetics.

*Access is free through a registered RSC account.

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