Are you currently facing long drug development cycles, difficulty in protein expression and purification, or challenges in analyzing protein-protein interactions? Creative Biolabs' Microfluidic Chip Development Services help you streamline and accelerate your research by providing a precise, high-throughput platform for protein studies through advanced micro-channel fabrication and innovative bioassay integration.
Contact our team to get an inquiry now!
Background
Microfluidics is a discipline focused on the manipulation of liquids at microscopic scales, generally inside structures measuring between tens and hundreds of micrometers. These microchips, often termed lab-on-a-chip systems, consolidate various lab processes into one platform, delivering exceptional command over flow behavior and chemical processes. Such miniaturization yields several benefits compared to conventional larger-scale techniques, especially in protein studies where small quantities and accuracy are essential.
Click the link to check more detailed applications of microfluidics for protein.
Proteins are fundamental to virtually all biological processes, and their characterization—including structure, function, and interactions—is central to biochemistry, diagnostics, and drug discovery. Microfluidic platforms have emerged as a powerful tool for these applications because they can precisely control the protein microenvironment, enabling rapid analysis and high-throughput screening with minimal sample consumption. For example, microfluidic devices can be used to control the concentration gradients for protein crystallization or to automate complex immunoassays for biomarker detection. This technology provides a significant leap forward in our ability to study proteins, offering a platform for precise manipulation, separation, and analysis that is essential for modern proteomic research.
Fig.1 Microfluidic platform for protein analysis.1,3
Applications
The applications for microfluidic chips in protein research are extensive and growing. Our services can be applied to:
Protein-Protein Interaction Analysis
Study complex binding kinetics and interactions with high precision and low sample volume.
Biomarker Detection
Develop highly sensitive and rapid diagnostic assays for disease-specific protein biomarkers.
Protein Crystallization
Screen a wide array of conditions to optimize protein crystal growth for X-ray crystallography.
High-Throughput Screening (HTS)
Automate the screening of drug candidates against target proteins in a miniaturized, efficient format.
Enzyme Kinetics
Analyze enzyme reactions and inhibition in real-time with precise control over reaction conditions.
Cellular Lysate Analysis
Integrate sample preparation and analysis on a single chip for rapid proteomic profiling.
What We Can Offer
Creative Biolabs offers a comprehensive suite of services and products to support your protein research needs.
We design and fabricate custom chips for a wide range of protein applications.
A selection of pre-designed microfluidic chips for common protein assays and workflows.
From initial consultation and design to fabrication, assay development, and final data analysis, we provide a full-service solution to accelerate your project.
On-Chip Protein Analysis and Screening
We offer services to run your protein samples on our platforms, providing you with detailed data and analysis.
Leverage our specialized benefits—Request a quotation today
Workflow
Why Choose Us
Our deep expertise and cutting-edge technology distinguish us in the field of microfluidic protein research. Creative Biolabs offers tailored solutions, not one-size-fits-all products, ensuring your specific project challenges are met with the most effective technology.
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Customized Solutions: We develop custom microfluidic chips designed specifically for your protein of interest, taking into account unique properties such as stability and required reaction conditions.
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Advanced Fabrication: Our use of multiple fabrication techniques allows us to create chips from a variety of materials with exceptional precision and reproducibility.
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High-Throughput Capabilities: Our platforms are engineered to enable multiplexed and high-throughput screening, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with large-scale experiments.
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Minimal Sample Consumption: The microscale nature of our chips requires only minute sample and reagent volumes, which is crucial for working with rare or expensive protein samples.
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Expert Consultation: Our team of experienced scientists provides comprehensive support from the initial design phase through final implementation, ensuring a smooth and successful project.
Published Data
Fig.2 The microfluidic device design and experimental result.2,3
This paper introduces a microfluidic method for quantitatively studying interactions of membrane proteins, which are difficult to analyze due to their low solubility and large size. The core of the technique is measuring changes in the protein's charge and diffusivity at the microscale, which provides a non-disruptive way to characterize how the protein binds to other molecules. The authors use this method to study the interaction of human aquaporins with a known inhibitor and the binding of a camelid antibody fragment to a human membrane protein. This approach offers a new way to analyze the binding properties of membrane proteins directly in solution, overcoming many of the challenges associated with traditional methods like Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC).
FAQs
Q: How does this technology provide more accurate data than traditional methods?
A: The precise control over fluid flow and reaction conditions in microfluidic chips minimizes non-specific interactions and reduces sample variability. This allows for more reproducible and specific binding data, which is critical for studies like protein-protein interaction analysis and biomarker detection.
Q: What are the key benefits of using microfluidic chips for protein crystallization?
A: Microfluidic devices enable high-throughput screening of a vast number of crystallization conditions while using only nanoliter volumes of protein sample. The ability to precisely control temperature and humidity on the chip also helps optimize crystal growth.
Q: What types of proteins are suitable for analysis on these chips?
A: The technology is highly versatile and suitable for a wide range of proteins, including recombinant proteins, antibodies, and proteins from cellular lysates. It's particularly valuable for studies involving precious or low-concentration samples.
Q: How do microfluidic assays compare to ELISA or Western blot for protein detection?
A: While both are effective, microfluidic platforms can offer significant advantages in terms of speed, automation, and reduced sample volume. They can integrate multiple steps of an assay onto a single chip, from sample preparation to detection, providing results more quickly and with higher throughput.
Featured Services
Feature Products
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CAT No
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Material
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Product Name
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Application
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MFCH-001
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Glass
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Herringbone Microfluidic Chip
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Processing samples and reagents in Nucleic acid analysis, blood Analysis, immunoassays, and point-of-care diagnostics.
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MFMM-0723-JS12
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Glass
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Double Emulsion Droplet Chip
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Our double emulsion microfluidic chip, incorporating localized modifications and a classic flow-focusing structure, is specifically designed to generate stable and uniform double emulsion droplets.
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MFCH-005
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PDMS
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3D Cell Culture Chip-Neuron
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Neuron cell culture and study of axon transport, axon protein synthesis, axon damage/regeneration, signal transduction of axon to somatic signal.
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MFCH-009
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PDMS
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Synvivo-Idealized Co-Culture Network Chips (IMN2 radial)
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SynBBB 3D Blood Brain Barrier Model/SynRAM 3D Inflammation Model/SynTumor 3D Cancer Model/SynTox 3D Toxicology Model.
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MFMM1-GJS4
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COC
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BE-Doubleflow Standard
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Studying circulating particles, cell interactions, and simple organ-on-a-chip system construction.
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MFMM1-GJS6
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COC
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BE-Transflow Custom
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Used to construct a cell interface or Air-Liquid interface (ALI) to study more complex culture systems.
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Click Here to Explore Our Complete Product Catalog.
For detailed inquiries regarding our offerings, reach out to our specialists.
References
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Jiang, Jianing et al. "An integrated microfluidic device for rapid and high-sensitivity analysis of circulating tumor cells." Scientific Reports vol. 7 42612. 15 Feb. 2017, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep42612
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Kim, Jaehoon et al. "Nano-Interstice Driven Powerless Blood Plasma Extraction in a Membrane Filter Integrated Microfluidic Device." Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 21,4 1366. 15 Feb. 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/s21041366
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Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.
