Low-Cost DIY Pump for Microfluidics Made from Balloons and Nylon Stockings

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Low-Cost DIY Pump for Microfluidics Made from Balloons and Nylon Stockings

Low-Cost DIY Pump for Microfluidics Made from Balloons and Nylon Stockings
Acollaboration between researchers at RMIT University and the Walter and ElizaHall Institute of Medical Research, both in Melbourne Australia, has resultedin an inexpensive and easily manufactured pressure pump. The simple device,which consists of a latex balloon and Nylon stockings, can Pump biologicalsamples around microfluidic devices, and is much smaller and cheaper thanlarger lab-based alternatives. The researchers hope that the Pump could makemicrofluidics-based healthcare applications, such as point-of-care diagnostics,more accessible around the world.

Microfluidic devices have the potential to provide miniaturized diagnostic and analytical tools to clinicians that can be used instead of bulky and expensive laboratory equipment. Researchers are constantly working to make them less expensive and more suited for work in remote or low-resource regions.

“Parasiticmicro-organisms have a major impact in impoverished communities in tropical andsubtropical regions globally, but also in developed countries includingAustralia,” said Aaron Jex, a researcher involved in the study. “In order toaddress this there is an urgent need for field-based, Low-Cost diagnostic toolsthat work in challenging, sometimes remote and often complex environments verydifferent from a pristine laboratory.”

Frequently, such devices require a Pump to move samples around the microfluidic instrument. The Australian researchers turned to footballs for inspiration, as they can handle significant amounts of pressure thanks to their reinforced structure.

“We startedwith basic latex balloons, then realized that regular Stockings Made from nylonand elastane could be a perfect match to reinforce them, allowing them to holdsignificantly higher pressure and function as pumps,” said Peter Thurgood,another researcher involved in the study. “By simply wrapping three layers ofstockings around the latex balloon we were able to increase its internalpressure by a factor of 10 – enough to run many water or blood analyses thatwould usually require large, expensive pumps.”

The device costs as little as $2 and can run microfluidic instruments for several hours with no significant pressure loss. To date, the researchers have successfully tested the device as a component of a microfluidic setup designed to detect cancer cells in liquid samples.

See a video about the device below:


Study in Labon a Chip: Self-sufficient,low-cost microfluidic pumps utilising reinforced balloons

Via: RMIT University

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