ERC - Metamorph Chip
About the project
The Metamoprph project aims to develop and demonstrate a new concept for a single-cell-level bioanalytical workspace that is dynamically configurable in real time. By using electrokinetically driven surface deformations (EDSD), a physical mechanism recently invented in our lab, microfluidic structures may be created or destroyed in real-time allowing cells to be introduced, separated, reunited, or removed, and liquids to be selectively introduced to, removed from, or moved between specific cells, either based on a predetermined program or more importantly – on demand (by the researcher, or an image processing algorithm), based on the state of the experiment at any time point. This workspace will be implemented in a microfluidic chip format, which we term the MetamorphChip. Successful implementation of the project would fundamentally change the way in which single-cell experiments are conceived and performed, by bringing the experimental flexibility and real-time, on-demand access and manipulation of the experimental sample available in tissue-culture-scale biology to the single-cell level.
The ERC team
Moran Bercovici
mberco@technion.ac.il
Moran is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, and head of the Microfluidic Technologies Laboratory. He serves as the Coordinator for the project, and is the academic adviser of the PhD trainees.
Hila Rabi
hilarabi@technion.ac.il
Administrative Assistant
Hila is in charge of all administrative aspects of the ERC project
Dr. Valeri Frumkin
valeri@technion.ac.il
Valeri is a postdoctoral researcher working on alternative actuation mechanics using thermocapillary flows.
Ran Eshel
mraneshel@gmail.com
Ran is a Master student working on actuation of elastic surfaces using non-uniform electroosmotic flow.
Dr. Khaled Gommed
gommed@tx.technion.ac.il
Lab Engineer
Khaled holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and is in charge of all microfabrication processes for the project.
Evgeniy Boyko
jeniaboiko1989@gmail.com
Evgeniy is a PhD student working on modeling viscous-elastic interactions induced by various forcings, and in particular non-uniform electroomotic flow.
Israel Gabay
srolik21@gmail.com
Israel Gabay is an undergraduate student in Mechanical engineering working on deformation of elastic surfaces using electrokinetic actuation.
Publications
Peer-reviewed journal publications
- Rubin, S., Tulchinsky, A., Gat, A.D. & Bercovici, M. Elastic deformations driven by non-uniform lubrication flows. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 812, 841–865 (2017).
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Boyko, E., Bercovici, M. & Gat, A.D. Viscous-elastic dynamics of power-law fluids within an elastic cylinder. Physical Review Fluids 2, 73301 (2017).
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Boyko, E., Bercovici, M. & Gat, A.D. Flow of power-law liquids in a Hele-Shaw cell driven by non-uniform electro-osmotic slip in the case of strong depletion. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 807, 235–257 (2016).
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Boyko, E., Rubin, S., Gat, A.D. & Bercovici, M. Flow patterning in Hele-Shaw configurations using non-uniform electro-osmotic slip. Physics of Fluids 27, 102001 (2015).
Conference presentations
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E. Boyko, M. Bercovici, and A. D. Gat, "Flow of power-law liquids in a Hele-Shaw cell driven by non-uniform electro-osmotic slip in the case of strong depletion", 69th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics, Portland, Oregon, Nov 20-22, 2016.
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A. D. Gat, E. Boyko, and M. Bercovici, “Viscous-elastic dynamics of power-law fluids within an elastic cylinder”, 69th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics, Portland, Oregon, November 20-22, 2016.
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M. Bercovici, E. Boyko, and A. D. Gat, "Deformations of a pre-stretched elastic membrane driven by non-uniform electro-osmotic flow”, 69th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics, Portland, Oregon, November20-22, 2016.
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E. Boyko, S. Rubin, A.D. Gat, and M. Bercovici, ”Flow and deformation patterning with
non-uniform electro-osmotic slip”, Basheva de Rothschild Seminar on Physics of Microfluidics, Sde Boker, January 3-8, 2017. -
V. Frumkin, and M. Bercovici, “Elastic deformations driven by the thermocapillary effect”, Flow17 Micro and nanofluidics fundamentals and applications, Paris, France, July 3-5, 2017.
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R. Eshel, E. Boyko, K. Gommed, and M. Bercovici, “Experimental study of elastic deformation driven by electro-osmotic flow”, Paris, France, July 3-5, 2017.
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E. Boyko, A. Gat, and M. Bercovici, Deformations of a pre-stretched and lubricated finite elastic sheet”, Paris, France, July 3-5, 2017.
Patents
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Rubin S., Bercovici M., Gat A., “Dynamic microfluidic devices and the use thereof”, Provisional Patent Application, September 2015.
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Rotschild C., Bercovici M., Rubin S., Frumkin V., “Device and method for spatial light modulation based on a fluidically actuated elastic sheet”, Provisional Patent Application, March 2017.
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Bercovici M., Frumkin V., “Thermally-actuated devices and use thereof”, Provisional Patent Application, March 2017.