The presentation will introduce the concepts of micro fluidic based processes concentrating on the inherent features of such systems and what they are good and bad at doing. In essence the strengths of so called chip techniques lie in a highly controlled fluidic environment which enables excellent spatial and temporal control of fluids operating under a diffusive mixing laminar flow regime. In addition chip based methods offer unique heat transfer capability and highly efficient surface area interactions. In short you can do rapid controlled chemical/biochemical processing on small samples incorporating integrated measurement systems. On the down side, chip to real world interfacing and system integration lie at the heart of many of the practical difficulties with implementing the technology. The presentation will use specific examples form ongoing research into the development of a field based DNA analytical system to illustrate the potential advantages and limitations of the technology.

s.j.haswell@hull.ac.uk