Project

Development of highly accurate and reproducible nL/pL dispensing processes by nanodrop technologies.

Code
F2021/IOF-Equip/032
Duration
01 April 2021 → 31 August 2023
Funding
Regional and community funding: Industrial Research Fund
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Electrochemical methods
    • Instrumental methods
  • Engineering and technology
    • Biosensors
    • Microfluidics/flow chemistry
Keywords
Liquid dispensing small volumes biosensors functionalization
 
Project description

In a number of research activities at UGent which are aiming for the creation of a spin-off company, the spatially and volumetrically precise dispensing of extremely small volumes of liquids (down to 10’s of picoliters) is a crucial fabrication step. In the laboratory proof-of-concept processes this dispensing is done manually (using micro-pipettes) with limited precision and reproducibility. The aim of the tool and the project is to convert these manual processes to very precise automated processes with the use of a new nanodrop dispenser machine. With the successful demonstration of the feasibility of nanodrop technology in the UGent spin-off projects a double goal is achieved: not only it realises an important missing link in the industrial proof of concept for the biosensors, aimed at in the spin-off projects, at the same time it leverages further R&D in projects with industrial partners at higher TRL levels.