(261a) Applications of Encoded Gel Particles In Biosensing

Small-scale fluidic devices offer the ability to finely control physical and chemical conditions which is advantageous for the synthesis of functional microparticles. Hydrogels are attractive scaffold materials for many particle-based biological assays. In this talk I will discuss the development and applications of a new synthesis technique entitled Stop Flow Lithography (SFL) which couples microfluidics and projection lithography to create microparticles with chemical and geometric complexity. SFL offers a new route to create functional gel microparticles. I will discuss both our progress in complex particle synthesis, and the use of encoded gel particles in multiplexed biosensing. The SFL technique allows us to create graphically encoded particles having a code in one region, and bearing various probe molecules (nucleic acids, proteins, viruses, etc..) in one more adjacent regions. Such encoded particles are of little use in a multiplex assay without a companion high-throughput scanning system. We again leverage microfluidics to develop a microfluidic scanner capable of rapidly decoding and quantifying bound target biomolecules. In addition to biosensing, I will briefly discuss other applications of the particles in catalysis and biomimetic systems.