Advanced tiny spray emitters to improve microfluidic diagnostics
Official title: Advanced Fabrication and Integration of Nano/Pico-Electrospray Emitters in Microfluidic Systems
Funded at Fluidispec LLC · NIH-11314620 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new type of tiny spray device will be built to work with microfluidic chips and mass spectrometry to analyze very small samples, with the goal of making diagnostics cheaper and faster.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Fluidispec LLC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2026 |
| Project end | September 19, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $400,000 |
| NIH project number | 1R41GM163499-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11314620 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients whose care could benefit from rapid, low-volume diagnostic tests or those contributing biological samples (e.g., body fluids, cell-derived materials) for developing new diagnostic technologies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not involved in or contributing samples or who are not candidates for microfluidic diagnostic advances may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project develops novel electrospray emitters to connect microfluidic systems with mass spectrometry, aiming to reduce device costs and broaden compatibility with various microchannels. It focuses on enabling reliable analysis of very small sample volumes, including cell lysates and single cells, across a wide range of flow rates. By improving contamination resistance and performance, the work could support future diagnostic microfluidic systems for early disease detection and personalized medicine. The study will establish fabrication strategies and thoroughly evaluate emitter performance using mass spectrometry and additional analytical methods. The long-term vision is to contribute to affordable, point-of-care diagnostics that can impact patient care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to cheaper, more versatile microfluidic diagnostic tools that enable rapid analysis of small patient samples.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work on microfluidic-MS integration has shown promising improvements, and this project seeks to extend those gains with new emitters.
Where this research is happening
-
Fluidispec LLC
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Timperman, Aaron T — Fluidispec LLC
- Study coordinator: Timperman, Aaron T
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.