title: Integrated nanoliter systems.
abstract: Microfluidic chip platforms for manipulating liquid volumes in the nanoliter range are slowly inching their way into mainstream genomic and proteomic research. The principal challenge faced by these technologies is the need for high-throughput processing of increasingly smaller volumes, with ever higher degrees of parallelization. Significant advances have been made over the past few years in addressing these needs through electrokinetic manipulation, vesicle encapsulation and mechanical valve approaches. These strategies allow levels of integration density and platform complexity that promise to make them into serious alternatives to current robotic systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology, MC 128-95, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
authors.forename: Jong Wook
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Quake
mesh_terms: D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D008832:Microchemistry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D018511:Systems Integration