Introduction to BioMEMS

The entire scope of the BioMEMS field—at your fingertipsHelping to educate the new generation of engineers and biologists, Introduction to BioMEMS explains how certain problems in biology and medicine benefit from and often require the miniaturization of devices. The book covers the whole breadth of this dynamic field, including classical microfabrication, microfluidics, tissue engineering, cell-based and noncell-based devices, and implantable systems. It focuses on high-impact, creative work encompassing all the scales of life—from biomolecules to cells, tissues, and organisms.
Brilliant color presentationAvoiding the overwhelming details found in many engineering and physics texts, this groundbreaking book—in color throughout—includes only the most essential formulas as well as many noncalculation-based exercises. Important terms are highlighted in bold and defined in a glossary. The text contains more than 400 color figures, most of which are from the original researchers.
Coverage of both historical perspectives and the latest developmentsDeveloped from the author’s long-running course, this classroom-tested text gives readers a vivid picture of how the field has grown by presenting historical perspectives and a timeline of seminal discoveries. It also describes numerous state-of-the-art biomedical applications that benefit from "going small," including devices that record the electrical activity of brain cells, measure the diffusion of molecules in microfluidic channels, and allow for high-throughput studies of gene expression.

Albert Folch is an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. Dr. Folch has previously worked as a postdoc researcher at Harvard University’s Center for Engineering in Medicine, a postdoc researcher at MIT, and a visiting scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He is a recipient of an NSF CAREER Award and is on the advisory board of Lab on a Chip. His research focuses on the interface between cell biology and microfluidics.

How Do We Make Small Things?
Why Bother Making Things Small?
From Art to Chips
Photolithography
Micromachining
Micromolding
Soft Lithography
Hydrogel Devices
Nanofabrication Techniques
Fabrication Based on Self-Assembly: A "Bottom-Up" Approach

Micropatterning of Substrates and Cells
Interaction between Surfaces and Biomolecules
Surface Engineering
Micropatterns of SAMs
Micropatterns of Proteins
Micropatterns of Cells on Nonbiomolecular Templates
Micropatterns of Cells on Biomolecular Templates


Microfluidics
Why Go Small?
Microscale Behavior of Fluids
Fluids in Electrical Fields
Fluids in Acoustic Fields
Fabrication of Microfluidic Channels
Operation of Microfluidic Channels: Practical Concerns
Droplet Microfluidics
Active Flow Control
Micromixers
Combinatorial Mixers


Molecular Biology on a Chip
The Importance of Miniaturizing Molecular Biology
The Importance of Point-of-Care Diagnostics: Where is Cost Really, Really, Really Important?
Sample Preparation: A Bloody Example
The Problem with Microfluidic Sample Separation
Microfluidic Immunoassays
Chips for Genomics and Proteomics
Electrospray Mass Spectrometry
Biochemical Analysis Using Force Sensors


Cell-Based Chips for Biotechnology
Microfluidic Flow Cytometers
Cell Sorting
Cell Trapping
Microfluidic Cell Culture Laboratories
Gene Expression Cellular Microarrays ("Cellomics")
Micro-Bioreactors
Cells on Microelectrodes
Patch Clamp Chips
Cryopreservation
Assisted Reproductive Technologies
Whole Animal Testing


BioMEMS for Cell Biology
An Enabling Technology: The Hurdles
Cell-Substrate Signaling
Cell-Cell Communication
Cell Migration
BioMEMS for Cellular Neurobiology
Developmental Biology on a Chip
Yeast Biology
Plant Cell Biology
Microfluidics for Studying Cellular Dynamics


Tissue Microengineering
Microscaffolding
Micropatterned Cocultures
Stem Cell Engineering
Morphogenesis


Implantable Microdevices
Dental Implants
Implantable Microelectrodes
Delivery of Soluble Signals into the Body
Microtools for Surgery
Insect Research


Appendix

Index


A Summary and Further Reading appear at the end of each chapter.