Exeter Microfluidics Network

The Exeter Microfluidics Network encompasses high-profile research groups that use microfluidic approaches to address fundamental biological questions that impact global health and wellbeing.

Microfluidics is the manipulation and control of small volumes of liquid (typically less than a few microlitres) and allows the precise control of the environment surrounding biomedical or environmental samples from individual cells to whole tissues. By allowing real-time, continuous measurements and manipulation at the level of individual cells, and by facilitating automation, high throughput screening and multiplexing, microfluidics has the potential to revolutionise future healthcare technologies by addressing grand challenges, from drug discovery to diagnosis to novel treatments.

The Living Systems Institute hosts world class microfluidic facilities consisting of a suite of equipment for fabricating end-use microfluidic devices. These facilities includes equipment for designing and microfabricating microfluidic structures on silicon wafers, processing silicone prepolymer, epoxy, and glass substrates, and for aligning, finishing and bonding cured devices. Furthermore, our facilities host state-of-the-art microscopy equipment for long-term live-cell imaging of bacterial, fungal, mammalian and plant cells during exposure to biological, chemical or physical stimuli.

The aim of the Exeter Microfluidics Network is to build long‐term academic-industrial partnerships to develop cross-cutting technologies for addressing global health most pressing challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, cancer and environmental sustainability.

Living Systems Institute Members

Catalin Chimerel, Fabrice Gielen, Ge Guo, Ben Housden  Wolfram Moebius, Stefano Pagliara, David Richards, Austin Smith, Christian Soeller, Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova, Frank Vollmer, Kirsty Wan

University of Exeter members

Robert Beardmore (Biosciences), Tobias Bergmiller (Biosciences), Alex Brand (Biosciences), Remy Chait (Biosciences), Mike Deeks (Biosciences), Neil Gow (Biosciences), David Horsell (Physics), Julian Moger (Physics), Feodor Ogrin (Physics),  Francesca Palombo (Physics), Peter Petrov (Physics), Nick Stone (Physics), Charles Tyler (Biosciences), Stineke van Houte (Biosciences), James Wakefield (Biosciences), Edze Westra (Biosciences), Andy Young (Biosciences)

Wider national and international network

Our network also involves over 50 UK academics spanning 26 different institutes including Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Imperial, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, UCL and Warwick; 30 clinical and industrial project partners including Astra Zeneca, Attomarker, CPI, Defense science and technology laboratory, Fluidigm, Kelvin Nanotechnology, Hummingbird Biosciences, IBM, Medical discovery catapult, Mologic, Platform Kinetics, National Physical Laboratory, NHS, Spherefluidics, Syngenta, Zimmer and Peacock; 21 academics from world-leading international institutes including the University of Queensland and Nanyang Technological University.