Merten Group
Miniaturizing biology and chemistry in microfluidic systems
Microfluidic approaches in biology and chemistry. Please click on the picture for a larger version.
Previous and current research
We are conducting multidisciplinary research at the interface between biology, chemistry and engineering (prior knowledge in microfluidics is not obligatory for joining the group). The overall goal is to develop and exploit microfluidic technology for addressing questions that can hardly be answered using conventional approaches. In particular, working on the micro scale offers the following advantages:
- Drastically increased throughput (processing of up to a million samples per hour)
- Superb spatio-temporal resolution (assays can be carried out on micrometer length scales and sub-millisecond time scales)
- Low material consumption enabling single organism , single cell or even single molecule assays
Over the last couple of years we have developed powerful microfluidic platforms for cell-based and (bio)chemical assays. In our laboratory, we perform all steps ranging from the design/manufacturing of microfluidic chips and detection systems to the cultivation and study of human cells and multicellular organisms. Furthermore, we are interested in combinatorial chemistry, perform computational fluid dynamics simulations and develop novel software controlling our microfluidic systems. For many applications we use two-phase microfluidics, in which aqueous droplets within an immiscible oil phase serve as miniaturized reaction vessels. As they can be generated at kilohertz frequencies, they are of particular interest for high-throughput screens. Furthermore, the small assay volumes (pico- to nanoliters) facilitate obtaining high concentrations of nucleic acids (mRNA, DNA) or proteins (e.g. secreted antibodies) from individually encapsulated cells, hence opening the way for single cell assays. On the other hand, we use continuous-phase microfluidics to generate laminar flow patterns in which we expose cells and organisms (or even small parts thereof) to different chemical environments. Amongst other applications, this allows analyzing signaling events in developing embryos.
Future projects and goals
Having a comprehensive microfluidic toolbox at hand (and expanding it continuously), we are now focusing on applications in three different research fields:
- Cell biology. We are planning large-scale chemical pertubations to map the interactions between different cellular pathways with a special focus on cellular senescence. In particular, we will analyze the crosstalk between autophagy, insulin signaling and mitochondrial activity.
- Developmental biology. The exact regulation and timing of developmental steps during embryogenesis remain an enigma. To reveal the underlying mechanisms we develop microfluidic platforms allowing single cell transcriptomics. Furthermore we cultivate multicellular organisms in laminar flow systems to pertubate and analyze developmental steps in particular parts of the organism.
- Combinatorial chemistry. The possibility of rapidly generating, mixing and analyzing huge sample numbers allows the exploration of large areas of chemical structure space. Focusing on click chemistry and one-bead-one-compound libraries, we are interested in the identification of novel bioactive molecules such as antimicrobial peptides.
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Encapsulation of HEK293T cells (left) and C. Elegans (right) into aqueous microcompartments. Subsequent to an incubation step a fluorescence readout of individual microcompartments can be performed. |
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10 years of the human genome
EMBL scientists mark a decade since the first draft human genome sequence. Click on the image to play.
Duration: 6 mins.