title: Motion in microfluidic ratchets.
abstract: The ubiquitous random motion of mesoscopic active particles, such as cells, can be "rectified" or directed by embedding the particles in systems containing local and periodic asymmetric cues. Incorporated on lab-on-a-chip devices, these microratchet-like structures can be used to self-propel fluids, transport particles, and direct cell motion in the absence of external power sources. In this Focus article we discuss recent advances in the use of ratchet-like geometries in microfluidics which could open new avenues in biomedicine for applications in diagnosis, cancer biology, and bioengineering.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Baldiri Reixac 15-21, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. ssanchez@ibecbarcelona.eu and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain and Department of Engineering: Electronics, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caballero
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Baldiri Reixac 15-21, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. ssanchez@ibecbarcelona.eu and Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstrasse 3, Stuttgart, Germany. ssanchez@is.mpg.de.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Katuri
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Baldiri Reixac 15-21, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. ssanchez@ibecbarcelona.eu and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain and Department of Engineering: Electronics, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Samitier
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Baldiri Reixac 15-21, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. ssanchez@ibecbarcelona.eu and Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstrasse 3, Stuttgart, Germany. ssanchez@is.mpg.de and Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Psg. Lluís Companys, 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sánchez