The polymer microfluidics technology described in this proposal possesses significant commercial potential for a wide range of technologies and applications in markets ranging from specialty medical and aerospace industries to consumer electronics. Commercial devices based on such microfluidics technology envisioned include components for DNA, protein and drug separation and analysis, chemical analysis systems, drug delivery systems, and embedded health monitoring systems. Our proprietary technology vastly improves robustness and reliability, thus clearing one of the last hurdles of a wider acceptance of CEC in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries The proposed polymer microfluidics technology can be readily adapted to NASA's miniature "Micro Laboratories" scientific instrumentations for in-situ exploration of bodies in the solar system. In particular, it is directly applicable to analyze organic molecules on Mars surface to find signature of life as well as to analyze Titan surface to study prebiotic chemistry on Titan. The proposed technology has other broad NASA applications including on-chip biosensors, electrochemical sensors, wet-chemistry systems, as well as high pressure micropumps for fluid positioning, mixing, metering, storage, and filtering systems. In addition, our novel technology is naturally suited to such applications as clinical diagnostics, spacecraft and biosphere environmental monitoring, and toxicology studies.
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