MoMiFlu @Foil

MoMiFlu@Foil – Modular Microfluidic Systems on Plastic Foils for Bioanalytics

Flexible modular systems for individual, cost-efficient, microfluidic-based diagnostics.

Project Target

The Research Studio Austria (RSA) MoMiFlu@Foil develops roll-to-roll based, large area production methods for microfluidic systems on foil (labs-on-foil). These cost-efficient mini-labs enable highly efficient and complex analyses for single use diagnostics.

Technology

Large-area production of micro- and nano-structures

In modern medicine the treatment is becoming more and more personalized. The demand for very small, highly productive and cost-efficient single use platforms increases rapidly for in-vitro-diagnostics, patient monitoring as well as biotechnical analysis. Miniaturized bioanalytical systems are known as “labs-on-a-chip” and often are produced by injection molding. MoMiFlu@Foil investigates large-area techniques for a production of such systems-on-foil. Micro- and nanostructures are applied on plastic foils via UV-imprinting in a roller-based production area. This enables a higher flexibility concerning material classes and substrates, a faster development process and a higher structure quality.

Besides standard geometries MoMiFlu@Foil engages in innovative channel shapes enabling an open transport of the fluid. Thereby, fully integrable analysis platforms are established. In that way a drop of blood can be tested for antibiotic resistant bacteria and for cardiac markers at the same time. The offer of MoMiFlu@foil includes the whole design and production process, starting from planning and fluidic simulation and providing the whole chain towards pattern reproduction within an industrial process. The plant for the pilot line has been established already. 

Benefit

The project develops multifunctional – especially hydrophilic - UV imprint resins for a direct, cost-efficient and large-area production of microfluidic elements on flexible substrates. These labs-on-foil offer an interesting alternative to conventional injection molded and rigid plastic chips.

Application areas

MoMiFlu@Foil in the first place addresses companies from the biomedical sector, especially in-vitro-analysis in point-of-care. Medical one- and multi-step diagnostic systems based on foil are created, in order to achieve point-of-care investigations in hospitals, at the doctor´s or in pharmacies. The projects’ expertise also targets other branches, as for example printing and pharma industry (e.g., intelligent packaging foils with labels indicating product preservation or temperature), functional surface treatments (e.g., water and dirt repellent or adhesive surfaces) as well as sensing surfaces (e.g., touch and pressure sensitive foils).

The research portfolio of MoMiFlu@Foil covers materials development and optimization for large-area imprinting processes, the rapid prototyping of microfluidic systems, the reproduction of micro- and nanostructures on large areas with high positioning accuracy, the design of microfluidic structures and chips, fluid dynamic simulations of microfluidic elements and the production of polymer-based imprinting stamps (especially for R2R-printing processes).  The main customers are companies in the field of life science, medical diagnostics, lab-on-foil, R2R fabrication of small patterns and structuring of flexible substrates.

 

Funding

The project MoMiFlu@Foil is funded by the FFG program Research Studios Austria (RSA). Within this program FFG supports the application and implementation of research results at the forefront of entrepreneurial research in Austria.