<figcaption>A confocal image of endothelial cells cultured in one of the microcapillaries of the biochip. Credit: Cellix Ltd.</figcaption>
A confocal image of endothelial cells cultured in one of the microcapillaries of the biochip. Credit: Cellix Ltd.

User:
Garry Walsh, University of Aberdeen School of Medicine, Scotland.

Project:
Examining adhesion of eosinophils under conditions of blood flow in the lungs.

Problem:
Eosinophils are relatively rare and difficult to isolate. "You don't have very many to play with in your experiment," Walsh says. He needed a device that can handle a small number of cells in small volumes.

Solution:
Five years ago, Walsh connected with engineers from Trinity College, Dublin, who asked him to help test a platform with standardized channels and precision fluidic control; the engineers later commercialized the platform through a spin-off company, Cellix. They developed a disposable microfluidic chip containing eight parallel, 400-μm wide microchannels - roughly...

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