ELEC 473

Biological Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

Principles of sensors, actuators, microfluidics, biotechnology and nanotechnology, with applications in probing, detection, assaying and drug delivery.

3 credits

Course Outline

The course will cover basic principles of sensors, actuators, microfluidics, bio-nanotechnology, with applications in probing, detection, assaying and drug delivery. This course will accommodate students from various backgrounds, providing a short introduction to topics including biology, biochemistry, and neuroscience.

Course Objectives

  • By the end of the term, students should be able to:
  • Compare biomedical microdevices with current macroscale devices.
  • Discuss reasons for miniaturization.
  • Explain commonly used biosensing principles and describe how they are used in example devices.
  • Evaluate current literature: read scientific journal papers, and understand the goals and conclusions.

Course Topics

  • Microfabrication basics, rapid prototyping for microfluidic devices
  • DNA chips
  • Protein chips
  • Neural applications
  • Flow cytometry and cell seperation
  • Mechanical biosensors

More Information

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