BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Penn Engineering Events - ECPv6.17.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Penn Engineering Events
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://events.engineering.upenn.edu
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Penn Engineering Events
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260713T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260713T113000
DTSTAMP:20260706T171113Z
CREATED:20260706T171113Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T171113Z
UID:23197-1783938600-1783942200@events.engineering.upenn.edu
SUMMARY:MEAM Ph.D. Thesis Defense: "Development of Microfluidic Platforms for High-Throughput Biomolecular Screening"
DESCRIPTION:High-throughput screening (HTS) is an essential step in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. Single-phase and multiphase microfluidic platforms offer improved sensitivity\, reduced cost\, and enhanced physiological relevance compared with conventional screening technologies such as microplates and fluorescence-activated cell sorters. However\, a challenge towards unlocking the full potential of microfluidic platforms for HTS in academic and industrial settings is the development of designs that accelerate the exploration of massive design spaces for insights beyond bulk measurements. While droplet-based microfluidics have been used to screen large libraries of enzyme variants and cell types with single-molecule and single-cell level resolution\, these approaches are primarily limited to fluorescence-based assays at throughputs up to tens of kilohertz. Although microfluidic gradient generators have been used to perform combinatorial drug screens on cell cultures\, a lack of reliable strategies for reversible cellular access and incompatibility with certain single-cell manipulation techniques has hindered their functionality for high-control\, high-throughput cellular assays. \nIn this thesis\, I present two microfluidic platforms that enable accessible\, throughput-scalable screening of functional biomolecules in biochemical and cellular assays. First\, I showcase a microfluidic device that enables viscoelasticity-dependent\, deformation-based sorting of microgels using sequential bifurcations. I investigate the dynamics of dilute suspensions of viscoelastic particles in confined microfluidic channels and demonstrate the utility of the device for enzymatically catalyzed hydrogel degradation assays. Second\, I discuss our work to engineer a reversibly-sealable microfluidic platform for multi-molecule gradient delivery to large adherent cell cultures. I evaluate the spatiotemporal control of physiochemical gradients across centimeter-scale areas and show the power of the approach to simultaneously deliver combinations of multiple molecules to cells with tunable flow-induced shear stresses. In summary\, these microfluidic platforms have the potential to identify optimal biomolecules at throughputs relevant for the discovery of drug candidates to address unmet therapeutic needs.
URL:https://events.engineering.upenn.edu/event/meam-ph-d-thesis-defense-development-of-microfluidic-platforms-for-high-throughput-biomolecular-screening/
LOCATION:Room 2C4\, David Rittenhouse Laboratory Building\, 209 S. 33rd Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19143\, United States
CATEGORIES:Doctoral,Dissertation or Thesis Defense
ORGANIZER;CN="Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics":MAILTO:meam@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR