CCTVal has a Photolithography Laboratory and highly trained researchers and engineers to carry out design, construction and validation tasks of microfluidic systems for the establishment of different useful parameters in the industry.
Currently, the study and development of technologies based on biological components for the detection of various molecules of clinical and environmental interest, the generation of biomaterials for tissue engineering and the evaluation of drug efficiency parameters, among other areas, tend to the use of miniaturized systems based on microfluidics, an interdisciplinary field that deals with the behavior, manipulation, design and control of small volumes of fluids in channels with dimensions of tens of microns.
These microfluidic systems represent a new line of development around the miniaturization, simplification and automation of analysis systems, today under the concept called “Lab on a chip”.
These devices integrate one or more analytical processes, which include sample pretreatment, mixing, reaction, injection, separation, detection, among others, performed in a laboratory in a device of small dimensions (millimeters).
CCTV capabilities
In the new CCTVal photolithography laboratory it is possible to build molds with micrometric dimensions, with which microfluidic systems can be produced, as well as design, construction and validation tasks of microfluidic systems for the establishment of commercial production parameters.
Advantages
Through these microfluidic systems it will be possible to optimize resources, reduce experimentation time, add various experimental conditions and provide an experimental environment closer to real biological conditions.
LOC devices are characterized by providing high analysis speeds, great versatility, high efficiency, low cost, the possibility of performing tests in parallel and reducing sample and reagent consumption and waste generation.
Implementation areas
This way of controlling the biological patterns of cells grown in vitro, allows the development of this technology in various areas, which will impact the search for technological solutions in sectors of protection of work environments, control of areas at risk of environmental contamination and food safety.
Services and products
Organ on a chip
It is an area of toxicology in general. Many times in order to simulate a metabolic process, researchers have to have different types of devices and create many types of reactions. But using an Organ on a chip system is much easier to do. Through this new area of microfluidics, these devices will be created in order to evaluate metabolic processes that eventually also lead to toxicological processes. The objective of evaluating toxicity in various aspects will be something that should be important in Chile, due to everything that affects us in daily life, for example, in the use of drugs and their toxic effects over time.
Cell Culture
It is a potential area that will require working with microfluidic systems, since it will allow the development of experiments more efficiently, faster, and a greater number of experiments can be carried out per unit of time.
Lipid nanoparticles synthesis
Lipid nanoparticles are synthesized for various uses, one of the most notable being the encapsulation of genetic material and the creation of its transport systems. Among the most relevant applications are vaccines, such as the Pfizer vaccine. An innovative technology created from a piece of RNA, which is embedded within a lipid nanoparticle. Everything indicates that the scientific communities around the world will point towards the use of this new technology and that they will have their own vaccine creation systems, therefore, looking for ways to transport the genetic material will be relevant, and the use through Synthesis of lipid nanoparticles with microfluidic systems is something that will increase over time and CCTVal has the capacity to industrially produce vaccine encapsulation systems and experience in the synthesis of lipid nanoparticles.
