Microfluidics

Microfluidics allow us to develop a complex net of tubes and conducts where a wide range of test can be performed in a really reduced area and at a very low cost. Due to C. elegans size (aprox. 1 mm) the channels built in microfluidics chips are a great tool to force the nematode to take a predefined path.

Channels geometry can be used to constrain the nematode position, keeping it static so a microscope can adquire images or forcing it to adopt an extended position so we can measure its length. The same chip can be used to perform different experimtens. Furthermore, the fluid medium acts as a great handling technique that allows to pick the nematode trapping it in a drop.

The most used material to make chips is the Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a optically clear silicone , inert, non-toxic and non-flamable. It behaves like rubber but can be hardened if propperly mixed with a curing agent.

Figure 1: Microfluidics Chip

Our current research includes a microfluidics line to improve the existing behaviour models with more accurate data.