Electroporation Device
Automated microfluidic research platform
At Fikst, I designed and tested a microfluidic cartridge and instrument system for research applications, managing verification and validation from concept to project completion, building QA protocols, and overseeing vendor selection and supplier quality.
- Mechanical Design
- V&V
- DFM
- Vendor Management
Challenge
Conventional electroporation happens in specialized cuvettes which increase the time is takes for affected cells to be transferred to recovery media. Creating a flow through system that syncs a pipetting robot with a high voltage power supply can delivery affected cells to recovery media in milliseconds, improving cell survival rate which is a key component of overall electroporation efficiency.
Approach
Building a system that functioned with up 15 kV, safety was at the forefront of every decision I made. If the synchronization between the pipetting robot and high voltage power supply was off by even a second the device would experience electrical arcing and the clients previous design had led to multiple dangerous arcing events. Our design utilized high voltage relays and simplified pogo-pin connection method to reduce risk.
Engineering Decisions
I developed two competing designs in parallel, one which could be fabricated quickly and another compatible with high volume manufacturing so that our client could gather the research data needed to secure funding and have a long term vision they could present to potential investors.
Prototyping Process
I built and tested a scaled down version of the electroporation device, allowing rapid iteration and cost-effective learnings.
Manufacturing Considerations
I oversaw vendor selection, part procurement, and supplier quality control, maintaining regular communication with our client to report progress and keep the program aligned.
Results
The system we provided our client enabled them to rapidly collect the research data they required and was able to achieve a substantially higher electroporation efficiency than any device they attempted to use prior.
- Met with precision
- Client Needs
- Protocols designed
- QA
- Safety prioritized
- High Voltage
Next project
Diagnostics Cartridge and Instrument