Abstract

The regulation of cell volume was one of the earliest evolutionary demands for life, and is a key measure of cell health. Physical or chemical stimuli can have profound effect on cell volume, and thus cell function. Microfluidic lab chip approach provides accurate spatial and temporal control of extracellular environment, and is ideal for cell-based assay. We have developed lab chip devices aimed at studying different cellular properties and transport mechanisms. In this talk, I will present results on real-time response of cells to various pharmacological reagents, toxic chemicals or other extracellular environmental changes measured using microfluidic volume sensor. Inhibition of various transport pathways using different reagents allows us to partition the total flux into its components. Kinetic analysis of cell volume responses to different stimuli leads to insight into the transport mechanisms.

 

Biography

Dr. Susan Z. Hua is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Department of Physiology & Biophysics at SUNY-Buffalo. Dr. Hua received her Ph.D. in 1993 from the Department of Material Science and Engineering at University of Maryland, College Park. She joint SUNY-Buffalo as the director of the Bio-MEMS Center in 2000, where she worked on the development of microfluidic systems and biosensors. She was the recipient of Promising Inventor of SUNY. Her work on microfluidic volume sensor has been highlighted worldwide by numerous scientific organizations and journals. Dr. Hua’s current research interests include the development of microfluidic devices and systems and utilizing these systems to study time resolved ion transport in cells and cell volume regulation. .