Microfluidic Platforms for Cell Biomechanics Studies

William C. Tang , Ph.D.
Biomedical Engineering Department
University of California, Irvine

This presentation focuses on the microβluidic platform research to study various cell types through  the  mechanical  modality. Recent research has established  that  the  mechanical structures  inside  a  cell  play  important  roles  in  healthy  cell  functions  such  as  growth, proliferation, migration, differentiation and embryogenesis. Similarly, they provide important mechanical  biomarkers  for  diseases  such  as  cancer  metastasis,  cardiovascular  diseases,  arthritis  and  immune  dysfunction. We seek to establish tools that  allow  the  studies  of mechanical properties of live cells in an in‐vitro environment that does not perturb the natural behaviors of cells. The design, theory, computer modeling, fabrication, and experimental       results of a microfabricated platform for cell biomechanics will be discussed. A microfluidic platform to isolate and study avian red blood cells (RBCs) infected to various degrees by the malaria  parasite Plasmodium gallinaceum  will  be  presented.  The  feasibility  of  using  the morphological changes on the surface of the malaria infected avian RBC as biomarkers has been established. 

William C. Tang received his Ph.D. in EECS from the University of California at Berkeley in 1990. Since his graduation, Dr. Tang contributed to the MEMS field in the automotive industry at Ford Motor Company, and later in MEMS for space exploration at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. From 1999 to 2002, he was the MEMS Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research  Projects  Agency  (DARPA).  Since  July  2002,  he  has  been on  faculty  with  the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of California, Irvine. Currently, he is the Associate Dean for Research in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering. His current research interests are in micro‐ and nano‐scale technologies for biomedical research. Dr. Tang is a Fellow and Chartered Physicist with the Institute of Physics (IOP), and a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).