Lab on a Chip: the Future for Drug Discovery
August 14, 2017 | GRIFFITH UNIVERSITYEstimated reading time: 1 minute
A leading micro and nano technologist has revealed a new way to drug screen, saving the health system money and time.
With the lab-to-market timeframe of a new drug being up to 20 years, Dr Say Hwa Tan of Griffith University’s Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre hopes his new technology and methods will slash that period to a few years.
Dr Tan, an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, works with “lab on a chip” technology, developing miniscule and intricate ways for lab work to be conducted on a small chip. These chips are about the size of a $2 coin.
Because current screening techniques are time consuming and expensive, Dr Tan is working with the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD) to develop a novel microfluidic platform to address this problem.
The platform uses pico-liter droplets instead of a microliter size, meaning much lesser drug compounds are needed. The chips also provides automation which means that researchers can drug screen much faster.
It is estimated throughput will be 10,000 times higher and 1000 times lower in cost than the conventional plate-based testing methods in a lab.
Dr Tan said on demand microfluidic screening also meant researchers would reduce the waste of drug reagents.
“Biological materials such as protein are first encapsulated in these droplets and then screened for suitability by adding different natural drug candidates,” he said.
“Drug discovery is an extremely lucrative multi-billion industry which is also the strategic focus of many nations and companies.
“There’s a demand for this kind of technology and we hope with this particular process we can actually get a matter of a few years from discovery of a new compound to pushing it into the market which will ultimately produce savings.”
The success of this initial work has been published on the front cover of ACS Analytical Chemistry, an American Chemical Society journal.
Further works are in progress to unveil the full capabilities of this new method. The researchers are currently applying the concept to miniaturise and automate various conventional lab tasks.
Suggested Items
Koh Young Showcases Award-winning Inspection Solutions at SMTconnect with SmartRep in Hall 4A.225
04/25/2024 | Koh Young TechnologyKoh Young Technology, the industry leader in True 3D measurement-based inspection solutions, will showcase an array of award-winning inspection and measurement solutions at SMTconnect alongside its sales partner, SmartRep, in booth 4A.225 at NürnbergMesse from June 11-13, 2023. The following offers a glimpse into what Koh Young will present at the tradeshow:
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Plasmatreat: Innovative Surface Preparation Solutions
04/25/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOIn this interview, Editor Nolan Johnson speaks with Hardev Grewal, CEO and president of Plasmatreat, a developer of atmospheric plasma solutions. Plasmatreat uses clean compressed air and electricity to create plasma, offering environmentally friendly methosd for surface preparation. Their technology measures plasma density for process optimization and can remove organic micro-contamination. Nolan and Hardev also discuss REDOX-Tool, a new technology for removing metal oxides.
Nanotechnology Market to Surpass $53.51 Billion by 2031
04/25/2024 | PRNewswireSkyQuest projects that the nanotechnology market will attain a value of USD 53.51 billion by 2031, with a CAGR of 36.4% over the forecast period (2024-2031).
Cadence, TSMC Collaborate on Wide-Ranging Innovations to Transform System and Semiconductor Design
04/25/2024 | Cadence Design SystemsCadence Design Systems, Inc. and TSMC have extended their longstanding collaboration by announcing a broad range of innovative technology advancements to accelerate design, including developments ranging from 3D-IC and advanced process nodes to design IP and photonics.
SMC Korea 2024 to Highlight Semiconductor Materials Trends and Innovations on Industry’s Path to $1 Trillion
04/24/2024 | SEMIWith Korea a major consumer of semiconductor materials and advanced materials a key driver of innovation on the industry’s path to $1 trillion, industry leaders and experts will gather at SMC (Strategic Materials Conference) Korea 2024 on May 29 at the Suwon Convention Center in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea to provide insights into the latest materials developments and trends. Registration is open.