| Investigation of biological networks is always difficult because of the intrinsic complexity from interacting reactions. Although the properties of each single reaction can be characterized, it is still challenging to understand the overall dynamics and to predict the behavior of the network. The network of blood coagulation is one example of such complex networks. We simplified the coagulation network by a modular mechanism based on the kinetics of individual reactions. We also established a simple chemical model to reproduce and predict the behavior of the coagulation network on a microfluidic platform. These approaches may shine light on the study of other complex biological networks.;The SlipChip is a microfluidic platform designed to perform liquid manipulation for multiplex microfluidic reactions without complex injection and control systems. The SlipChip consists of two plates etched with wells and ducts. Fluidic paths are formed or broken based on the relative movement of two plates. Sample and reagent can be loaded by pipetting through the continuous fluidic path formed by the wells and ducts on both top and bottom plates. After sample loading, the bottom plate is slipped relative to the top plate to break the fluidic path and form individual reaction compartments. Since its introduction, the SlipChip platform has been applied to perform protein crystallization and nanoliter immunoassay. In the second part of this thesis, we have demonstrated the SlipChip for high throughput multiplex PCR and digital PCR. With further improvement, such as isothermal amplification and visual readout, the SlipChip would be a promising tool for point-of-care diagnostics in resource limited settings. |
