The November 16, 2022 edition of Medical Product Outsourcing (MPO) features Mitigating Bubbles in Microfluidics by Lorenzo Gutierrez, Microfluidics Manager at StarFish Medical. The online exclusive shares potential sources of bubbles in microfluidic devices, detecting presence and and stopping formation using his recommendations for mitigating bubbles in microfluidics.
“Depending on the application, bubbles can have a significant impact on the process performance and the intended use. In the worst case, they will make the microfluidic device nonfunctional or unusable”, Gutierrez explains. While it is challenging to mitigate all the sources of bubbles at once, whatever the system or microfluidic format, it is crucial to avoid or eliminate them from the source. During microfluidic device development, each contributing factor should be considered and the device designed as a system.
Gutierrez concludes: “A combination of prevention and mitigation options must be considered by balancing the microfluidic device’s overall complexity, cost, and performance.”
Lorenzo Gutierrez is the StarFish Medical Microfluidics Manager. Lorenzo has extensive experience translating point of care assays to microfluidic cartridges. His microfluidics portfolio includes developing a polyvalence instrument for early infant diagnostics at Chipcare.