Microendoscopy and Microfluidics

Intracoronary LSR

The simplicity of the LSR approach, which does not require any external mechanical loading or pre-processing of the samples, makes it highly translatable to various clinical uses. In addition to our benchtop platforms, we are developing miniature catheters and endoscopes to conduct LSR through luminal organs and vessels. One application area is the evaluation of vulnerable coronary plaques. During the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, mechanical properties of atherosclerotic plaques are altered by a complex milieu of hemodynamic and biochemical processes. The ultimate event of plaque rupture is a biomechanical failure that occurs when a plaque with severely compromised mechanical properties is unable to withstand loads exerted on it. Our paradigm will complement microstructural information and plaque burden measurements from clinical intravascular ultrasound with plaque micromechanics from LSR.

Intracoronary LSR catheter for vulnerable coronary plaque detection, featuring a custom multifaceted mirror for omnidirectional viewing (left). A pullback through human coronary artery reveals softer lipid cores in contrast to stiffer fibrous plaques (right).

Microfluidics

Our laboratory has tackled a common challenge in clinical blood coagulation testing: efficiently mixing blood, a shear-thinning fluid, with reagents at the fast speed required for accurate blood coagulation testing. We have developed a novel approach that utilizes 3D passive helicoidal mixers within the cartridge to enhance mixing efficiency. Our mixer designs have been rigorously tested through flow simulations, dye mixing, and blood coagulation experiments to ensure optimal performance. The resulting iCoagLAB device-compatible cartridge comprises a reagent chamber, a passive mixer, an optical testing chamber, and a vent, all of which work together to facilitate successful blood coagulation experiments monitored through laser speckle rheology technology. Moving forward, we aim to collaborate with industrial partners to employ high-precision fabrication methods for mass-producing these cartridges. 

Microfluidic Mixing Cartridge with Whole Blood