A research team at the University of California Riverside (UCR) www.ucr.edu has created a computer programming language that will automate “laboratory-on-a-chip” technologies used in DNA sequencing, drug discovery, virus detection, and other biomedical applications.
A laboratory-on-a-chip a device can integrate laboratory functions on a chip that is only millimeters or centimeters in size. The technology allows for the automation and miniaturization of biochemical reactions, plus it has the potential to improve and reduce the cost of healthcare.
The most recent laboratory-on-a-chip devices are equipped with integrated electronic sensors similar in principle to those used in smart phones and tablet PCs. These sensors enable scientists and healthcare professionals analyzing the sensor data to make informed decisions about future analyses to perform.
Philip Brisk, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UCR’s Bourns College of Engineering Philip.brisk@cs.ucr.edu and his team are funneling the sensor data into a computer and facilitating automated decision-making, rather than employing a human in the loop.
“We are really trying to eliminate as much human interaction as possible,” Brisk reports. “Now you have a chip, you use it, and then you analyze it. Through automation and programmability, you eliminate human error, cut costs, and speed up the entire process.”
The UCR team started with an existing biological programming language called BioCoder, developed by Microsoft’s research office in India. The team modified BioCoder to process sensor feedback in real-time. Using a software simulator to mimic the behavior of a laboratory-on-a-chip, they proved that it will work. They plan to build a prototype chip that can be used for real-world applications.
Brisk’s findings were recently published in a paper, “Interpreting Assays with Control Flow on Digital Microfluidic Biochips” in the ACM “Journal on Emerging Technologies in Computing Systems”..
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, www.nsf.gov (NSF) through several NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. Brisk was also recently awarded a five year $493,645 NSF grant for related research to apply semiconductor design automation and layout principles to laboratory-on-a-chip technology.