MicroAnalytical Lab/MEMS Seminar Microfluidic Molecular Systems Program at DARPA Abe Lee DARPA MicroFlume Program Manager Thursday, October 28, 1999 11:00 AM Advanced Chemical Sciences and Technology Building Room A202 This seminar is hosted by Laurie Locascio (CSTL) and Michael Gaitan (EEEL)

Abstract
The Microfluidic Molecular Systems Program at DARPA was established in 1996 to enable to provide the warfighter with programmable machines that perform 100s of fluid-based process sequences to meet dynamic requirements in chemical/biological analysis & synthesis. The MicroFlumes program provides the technology foundation for developing future military systems requiring chemical or biological synthesis and analysis as part of their operation. The MicroFlumes program is developing prototype microfluidic systems and components to enable the following types of military systems.

* Portable systems for warfighters for potential applications in chem/bio detection missions and remote monitoring.
* Micro-chemical-reactors that can safely produce hazardous chemicals in small quantities
* Precision metering, analysis and/or dispensing of biomedical and biological fluids. Potential applications include reconstituting and administering drugs in the field and "point-of-care" automated medical monitoring and diagnostics.

The current MicroFlumes Program has developed chip-scale microfluidic components to achieve the aforementioned systems in hand-held packages. Subsystem functions including sample collection, sample preparation (mixing, separation, cell lysing), and detection are implemented by chip-scale components. The next generation of microfluidics devices will be aimed at integrating these components onto single chips. Potential applications include wearable, wristwatch size detectors to unobtrusively monitor the warfighter's body fluids for presymptomatic detection of invading chem/bio pathogens or the body's response to these pathogens.

These technologies, although developed for defense missions, have dual-use applications in the commercial sector. Examples include medical diagnostics, environmental, drug delivery, and drug discovery.