Microfluidic technology could open new paths to repair and replace damaged organs

The tiny improved gel droplets with the technology of the Queensland University could open new paths to repair and replace the damaged organs.

Dr. Ruirui Qiao and his team from the Australian Institute of Bio-Engineering and Nanotechnology of the UQ (AIBN) have patented a new microfluidic tool that produces “smart” microgel droplets To explore regenerative drugs. Research is published in the newspaper Advanced material interfaces.

The microfluidic tools are used to handle liquids and gases on incredibly small scales, which gives researchers a unique control over the chosen materials.

Dr. QIAO said that the UQ-SURF microfluidic platform of its team could create thousands of microdroplets per minute, each a research environment to explore tissue engineering and cell therapies.

“In a microgel droplet, we can work with materials in a way that would have been impossible otherwise,” said Dr. Qiao. “But it is extremely difficult to create microgels capable of incubating life materials.

“The technology that we have created considerably simplifies the process – saving time and money – with an additional option to modify the drill function by simply modifying the temperature.”

Above all, microgel droplets made with UQ-Surf technology do not require hard chemical treatments to make them viable for clinical use, better protect the sensitive cargo inside.

“The level of control that you get with traditional microgel droplets has generally has a cost – potential contamination of life equipment with which you work,” said Dr. Qiao.

“UQ-SURF removes this risk, because we do not need harmful chemical dismounters or additional treatment steps to recover encapsulated microgels. We only have to change the temperature.”

Dr. Qiao said UQ-Surf had the potential to support a diversified range of biomedical applications, including in vitro models for drug detection, targeted delivery of drugs, cells and genes, and progress in tissue engineering.

The technology has been patented through the UQ Unique marketing company and has already been deployed in the laboratory, presenting its market potential.

“The global microfluidal market is expected to reach $ 41.6 billion ($ 64.2 billion) by 2028, almost double what it was in 2023,” said Dr. Qiao. “Our goal is to play a role in this growth.”