Dissemination

Dissemination to disciplinary community

1. Year 1: PI Zhe made one poster presentation about cell detection in Micro-total-analysis (µTAS) 2015 conference, and an invited presentation at Beijing University of Technology. Co-PI Zhang made a presentation on biomolecule detection and their applications in cardiac tissue engineering, in UA’s biomedical engineering sophomore seminar. Two graduate students, Mr. Liu and Mr. KC, made 3 presentations in local conferences. Details of these presentations are listed below:

  • J. Zhe, Novel Quantitative Macro Biomolecule Analysis Based On A Micro Coulter Counter, Poster presented at the µTAS 2014, San Antonio, TX, 10/2014.

  • J. Zhe, Biomarker detection using multiplexed microfluidic Coulter counters, Beijing University of Technology, (invited presentations), 6/2014.

  • G. Zhang, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering for Cardiac Repair , The University of Akron, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sophomore seminar, 10/2014.

  • F. Liu, A Novel Microfluidic Device for Label Free Cell Analysis Based on Magnetic Bead Assay. Poster presented at the 2015 National Center for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM) Annual Scientific Retreat, Cleveland, OH, 03/2015.

  • P. KC, Efficient detection of magnetic beads binding to cells for high throughput cell analysis. Poster presented at the 2015 National Center for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM) Annual Scientific Retreat, Cleveland, OH, 03/2015.

  • F.Liu, A Label free cell analysis device based on resistive pulse sensing and magnetic bead assay. Oral presentation at the 2015 the University of Akron Student Innovation Symposium, Akron, OH, 04/2015

Year 2: Co-PI Zhang made a presentation on biomolecule detection and their applications in cardiac tissue engineering at Case Western Reserve University. PI Zhe made one invited presentation at Xi’an Jiaotong University, China. Two graduate students, Mr. Liu and Mr. KC, made 2 presentations in 2015 Annual Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society. Details of these presentations are listed below:

  • G. Zhang, Investigating Stem Cell Secretome for Cardiac Regeneration, Sep 24, Department of Biomedical Engineering Seminar, Case Western Reserve University. (invited talk)

  • J. Zhe, Pathogen Cell Detection Based on Micro Coulter Counters, June 23, Xi’an Jiaotong University. (Invited Talk)

  • F. Liu, P. KC, G. Zhang, and J. Zhe, “A Microfluidics Based Magnetic Beads Assay For Label Free Cell Analysis,” in 2015 Annual Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society, Tampa, Florida, Oct, 8th, 2015. (Poster Presentation)

  • P. KC, M. Shah, B. Brazile, J. Liao, and G. Zhang, “Developing Efficient Recellularization Strategies for Decellularized Porcine Myocardial Scaffold,” in 2015 Annual Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society, Tampa, Florida, Oct, 8th, 2015. (Poster presentation)

2. Year 1:One journal paper and one conference paper focusing on thermal responsive cell culture and biomolecular detection via immunoaggregation assay were published (please see products).

  • N. Patel and G. Zhang, Stacked stem cell sheets enhance cell-matrix interactions”, Organogenesis; 10 (2), 1-7, 2014.

  • Y. Han, H. Y. Wu, F. Liu, G. Cheng and J. Zhe, Novel Quantitative Macro Biomolecule Analysis Based On A Micro Coulter Counter, µTAS 2014, San Antonio, TX, 10/2014.

Year 2: We published two journal articles focusing on target cell detection:

  • F. Liu, P. KC, G. Zhang, and J. Zhe, “Microfluidic Magnetic Bead Assay for Cell Detection.,” Anal. Chem., vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 711–717, Dec. 2015.

  • Y. Han, H. Wu, G. Cheng, and J. Zhe, “A two-stage microresistive pulse immunosensor for pathogen detection,” Lab Chip, 2016.

3. We created a website that disseminates updates of the instrument developments:

https://sites.google.com/site/microfluidicsakron/. This website was linked to UA’s webpage http://gozips.uakron.edu/~jzhe/index.html

Dissemination to potential biological user community

1. Dissemination to potential local biological users.

We identified the following local research institutes with a significant number of potential biological users for our instrument: Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED); Summa Health System and Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute (CCLRI). We reached out to the researchers (Dr. Liya Yin at NEOMED, Dr. Richard L. George at SUMMA and Dr. Anand Ramamurthi at CCLRI) who perform cell analysis on weekly basis in the above institutes and worked with them to gather inputs from the user’s perspectives to optimize and improve our produce development.

2. Dissemination to potential National and International biological users.

We have worked closely with Ms. Susan Dollinger (Marketing Director, UA’s Office of Technology Transfer) to search for potential national and international biological users. Per her suggestion, our first year of focus for this project was to conduct preliminary study to prove the feasibility of proposed instrument. With our successful result, we are recommended by Ms. Susan Dollinger to apply for the UA I-Corps Sites program with a starting date of May 21, 2015. UA is one of three initial I-Corps sites locations, which support teams through critical market and commercialization evaluations associated with a specific UA developed idea or technology. Through this program we intend to identify potential national and international biological users with the help from a experienced business mentor, introduce the instrument and get feedbacks from potential biological users via phone interview and customer visits.

Our team applied and has been selected to participate the I-Corp: University of Akron Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurial Preparation project with the start date of 7/6/2015. Via this project we paired with our business mentor and conducted 46 phone interviews, 12 face-to-face interviews with the potential users of our instrument for product introduction and feedback solicitation.

We’ve contacted Mr. Mark Low, managing director of Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center (GICI) and met with his group several times in the past year to introduce our instrument. GICI agrees to help promote our instrument to potential users in great Cleveland area once we produce a demo unit.

We attended the exhibition of 2015 Medical innovation Summit Cleveland and introduced the concept of our instrument to many attendees.

Dissemination to other communities

1. The concepts of cell and cell secretome analysis were introduced to over a hundred of Ohio middle and high students during the Bridging Engineering, Science and Technology (BEST) Medicine engineering fair hosted by the University of Akron in March, 2015.

2. The developed method of thermal responsive cell culture chamber fabrication was demonstrated to high school students via the UA’s Experience in Engineering summer camp in summer 2014.

3. The developed method of 1) thermal responsive cell culture chamber fabrication and 2) micro resistive pulse sensor were demonstrated to high school students via the Summer Experience in Engineering (SEE UA) camp in 2015

4. As an advisor of Believe in Ohio Project, Co-PI Zhang introduced lab-on-a-chip concept to high school students in AP Chemistry class (Fall 2014) at the Hudson High School.

5. Two graduate students were funded by this project. Both students were trained in PIs labs and assisted PIs to conduct research work in Year 1.

6. Six undergraduate students (including 3 female and one minority student) were recruited, trained and participated research activities In PI Zhe and Co-PI Zhang’s lab in Year 1.

7. The label-free cell detection concept, and preliminary testing results were included in PI Zhe’s existing MEMS courses “Fundamentals of MEMS” and “Design of MEMS and Nano Devices”. In the lab sessions of both classes, students were asked to get into PI’s MEMS Lab, and inspect the device under the microscopes. The graduate student showed detection of micro particles using the device to the classes.

8. One high school student from Copley High School did a 8-week summer research in Zhe’s lab in summer 2014.