Abe Lee tells Kathleen Too about the fundamentals of micro- and nanofluidics, lab-on-a-chip devices and finding the microfluidics 'killer application'

Abraham (Abe) Lee is a professor in the departments of biomedical engineering and mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of California, Irvine, US. He is the director of the Micro/Nano Fluidics Fundamentals Focus (MF3) Center sponsored by companies with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Professor Lee has developed a series of lab-on-a-chip devices for biomedical and biotechnological applications. His research has contributed to the founding of several start-up companies and he also serves as an advisor to companies and government agencies. He is also a new member of the Lab on a Chip editorial board.

How would you define the terms microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip?
I don't want to reinvent the wheel so this is taken from George Whitesides' paper The origins and the future of microfluidics¹ - 'Microfluidics is the science and technology of systems that process or manipulate small (10^-9 to 10^-18 litres) amounts of fluids, using channels with dimensions of tens of nanometres to hundreds of microns.' Microfludics involves the ability to carry out separations and detection with high resolution and sensitivity and the use of very small quantities of samples and reagents. Other advantages are low cost, short times for analysis and small footprints for the analytical devices. I would add that lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is to perform chip-scale chemical or biological assays driven by microfluidics to automate and 'streamline' the different process steps. These miniaturised labs could be serial or parallel in nature.

Can you tell me about the Micro/Nano Fluidics Fundamentals Focus (MF3) Center?
The MF3 Center was initiated in 2006 and is based at the University of California with the participation of nine other US universities. The mission of the centre is to create a focused community, composed of academic, government and commercial institutions, dedicated to developing the basic science and technology of micro- and nanoscale fluidics and providing solutions to commercial problems.

In essence, we are attempting to bridge the gap between fundamental research at universities and product-driven research within companies. This is often thought of as the 'valley of death' in terms of technology development. It happens when a brilliant idea is proposed and fundamental research is carried out in an academic environment; yet the timing and relevance to the company's product plans are weak. On the other hand, companies typically don't have the mandate and manpower to carry out the original or fundamental research. Therefore, in order to marry the two sectors, the MF3 Center set out to perform fundamental research driven by industrial needs.

The 8 corporate members of MF3 are a combination of large companies such as Beckman Coulter and Invitrogen and middle size companies, such as Monsanto Company, Douglas Scientific and Eksigent Technologies, that regard microfluidics as a driver for the future of their products.

As well as research projects and collaboration, the centre also promotes rapid prototyping and manufacturing of micro- and nanofluidic devices. We have invested in a hot embossing tool that will be used to develop moulds for a reel-to-reel tape machine that can quickly turn research prototypes into manufacturable products. We hope to promote this capability to the broader lab-on-a-chip community by introducing research in peer-reviewed articles and through the production processes of the companies.

Why have you taken on directorship of this centre?

I actually founded the MF3 Center in 2006 in response to a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) request to develop micro and nano science and technology centres. With my past experience as a DARPA programme and LOC academic researcher, I was able to assemble a strong team of researchers with complementary skill sets. I am also motivated by being able to perform research that has a more direct path towards commercialisation. I feel it is important to remove the barrier that many individual researchers face of not being able to share their knowledge and establish a dialogue that will lead to modular platforms that can be integrated to solve real world problems.

What does the future hold for microfluidics and the lab-on-a-chip sector?

I believe the future is bright; as we shall see LOC devices instrumental in helping us to live a healthier and higher quality life when microfluidic chips become as ubiquitous as microelectronic chips. We will have access to health indicators to greatly improve diagnostics and therapeutics and truly realise the potential of 'personalised medicine' through the maturation of LOC technologies. Food and water safety, as well as environmental monitoring, will also benefit from low cost, autonomous LOC devices.

Many technologists are now working hard to find a microfluidics 'killer application'. Do you have a feel for what this might be?
Killer applications come from either a great need or a great 'need to have'. They may also come from imposed needs or a disaster-triggered need to prevent future ones. The future is hard to predict but I will go with an application in the food industry either related to testing livestock (meat industry) or testing crops. This gigantic industry is largely untapped by LOC technologies. However, the need to have a 'personal digital health assistant' might also prompt a killer application in genetic testing for various disease susceptibilities or traits by home testing or at local surgeries or pharmacies.

How close are we to having real applications resulting from micro- and nanofluidic technologies?
The inkjet printer is already a real application of microfluidics technologies. I know a number of companies who are investing in micro and nanotechnologies (either hiring or developing products) and microfluidics technologies are maturing rapidly. I am confident that we will see 'real' products within the next three years.

How can the journal Lab on a Chip help to move the field forward and get products onto the market?
Lab on a Chip already contributes by publishing only the very best of the research in the area with fast turnaround times to ensure the community is aware of the latest developments in the shortest possible time. However, I believe that Lab on a Chip can play a further unique role in identifying the fast growing research in innovative and practical solutions to known industrial problems. The journal can be the vehicle to provide perspectives or higher level insight on the more practical and innovative ways to look at the technologies. It can also highlight industrial trends for researchers.

Which historical scientific figure would you most like to have dinner with and why?
Isaac Newton - I am fascinated by how he was able to distil very simple principles of nature from very complex phenomena. An ability to discover regularity and order in a seemingly random universe defines what good scientists do. However, it is almost impossible that one can come up with principles as fundamental as Newton and influence fields as broad as he did (mechanics, optics, mathematics). I would hope that the dinner would enlighten me on how to have a clear mind and focus, as one ages, to still produce and lead important studies.