Using lab-on-a-chip technology for DNA detection and analysis is one specific goal many researchers are inching toward. Researchers have now offered a way to align DNA strands to allow for analysis within a nanofluidic channel. The difficulty and cost of creating nanochannels is an impediment, but new research, published in Biomicrofluidics, offers the use a cost-effective material that could garner long term results in DNA analysis.

Nanochannels offer a way to align and analyze long biopolymer molecules such as DNA with high precision at potentially single basepair resolution. In the article "Complementary metal oxide semiconductor compatible fabrication and characterization of parylene-C covered nanofluidic channels with integrated nanoelectrodes," published today in Biomicrofluidics, Chih-kuan Tung, Robert Riehn, and Robert H. Austin, present a novel method of fabricating nanochannels with parylene, while measuring impedance characteristics with 25 nanometer thick electrodes. Parylene-C is a cheap and robust material, which is typically used for coating printed circuit boards as well as stents, defibrillators, pacemakers, and other implanted medical devices.

The researchers believe that this technology will open up opportunities for electronic detection of charged polymers, and that "with techniques to fabricate nanoelectrodes with nanochannels, it should be possible to include integrated electronics with nanofludics, allowing the electronic observation of a single DNA molecule at high spatial resolution."

There have been several notable events here at Biomicrofluidics in the past few months.

First up, congratulations are in order for Leslie Yeo, our newest editor. Dr. Yeo is at Monash University in Victoria, Australia, and he brings with him a lot of enthusiasm and great ideas for moving BMF forward. Take a look at Dr. Yeo's editorial for more info.

Speaking of new editorial members, the journal is also welcoming James Friend as an Associate Editor (both Drs. Friend and Yeo are part of the Micro/NanoPhysics Research Laboratory). Dr. Friend's appointment is especially newsworthy because he is helping the journal with its newest topical section: "Fabrication and Laboratory Methods." It is hoped that this section will provide a strong reference point for researchers interested in developing lab-on-a-chip or related technologies.

Another piece of good news: the first two issues of Volume 3 has published a great quantity of high quality articles from the 2009 Conference on Advances In Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, which was held at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology last January. And in case it slipped your mind you can scroll down—or click here—to listen to and read several of the posters presented at that meeting. Thanks to the efforts of BMF's editors—Hsueh-Chia Chang and Leslie Yeo—Biomicrofluidics is publishing more high quality papers than ever before. Just try to stop yourself from reading "Electrowetting on a lotus leaf" or "Rapid on-chip genetic detection microfluidic platform for real world applications."

Finally, there have been a few changes to the website. There is now a gallery of all videos contained in published articles since the journal's inception. It may also interest those with a desire for updates that don't exceed 140 characters that AIP Publishing is now on Twitter. With each tweet, BMF has seen a notable increase in traffic.

Once again proving that the journal's content is amazing.

Biomicrofluidics was lucky enough to be able to attend the first Advances in Microfluidics and Nanofluidics Conference at Hong Kong University, January 5-7, 2009.

Below are 15 posters that were part of the poster sessions, 5 of which include audio interviews with the poster's author.

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"Instability and Thermal Behavior of Droplet in PDMS Membrane Electrowetting Studied by High Speed Camera and Thermal Imager"
Jiang-Tao Feng, Zi-Qian Wang, Ya-Pu Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics (LNM), Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China

download the audio interview (mp3)

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"Hydro-electronic Voltage Generation based on Water-Filled SWCNT"

Quanzi Yuan, Ya-Pu Zhao

State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics (LNM), Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China

download the audio interview (mp3)

"Shearing of Mesoscopic Liquids in a Narrow Gap"
Chan Chia-Ling
National Central University, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China

download the audio interview (mp3)

Presented in Mandarin: "Shearing of Mesoscopic Liquids in a Narrow Gap"
Chan Chia-Ling
National Central University, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China

download the audio interview (mp3)

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"The One Dimensional Dynamics and Transport of DNA Molecules in a Quasi-Two-Dimensional Nanoslit"
Po-Keng Lin¹, Keng-hui Lin^1,2, Chi-Cheng Fu³, K-C Lee³, Pei-Kuen Wei², Woei-Wu Pai⁴, Pei-Hsi Tsao⁵, and Y.-L. Chen^1,2
1Institute of Physics, ²Research Center for Applied Sciences, and ³Institute of Atomic and Molecular Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, People's Republic of China
⁴Center for Condensed Matter Sciences and ⁵Department of Physics, National Taiwan University Taipei, Taiwan, People's Republic of China

download the audio interview (mp3)

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"Simulate Micro-Channel Flows with Super-Hydrophobic Surfaces Using an Atomistic-Continuum Hybrid Method"
Qiang Li and Guo-Wei He
Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics (LNM), Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China

download the audio interview (mp3)

Biomicrofluidics is sponsoring the 2009 Conference on Advances in Microfluidics and Nanofluidics in Hong Kong on January 5-7, 2009.

The first annual conference is an international and interdisciplinary conference with special focus on research activities in the Pacific Rim. It will be held at the beautiful campus of HKUST by the bay.

The objective of the conference is to provide a forum for researchers in this interdisciplinary subject area to disseminate recent theoretical/methodological developments and technological applications as well as a platform for fostering closer networks and collaborative ties. It is anticipated that this inaugural conference will be the first of a series or regular conferences along this theme.

The organizing committee is therefore inviting submissions of abstracts falling within the broad scope of micro/nanofluidic science and engineering. Authors of selected abstracts will be invited to submit a full contribution of their work for review and publication in one of two special issues of Biomicrofluidics.

The last decade has seen exponential growths in microfluidic and nanofluidic research in Asia, driven by robust funding with expectation that it will spur a large Asian biotechnology industry.

The intent of this conference is to bring researchers of different disciplines and nationalities together, which is necessary for the Asian community to advance to the next level. It is also an opportunity to expose Asian research achievements to leaders in the field and for Asian students to interact with them. Biomicrofluidics, an American Institute of Physics journal, will be the affiliated journal to facilitate the missions of this conference, and subsequent follow-up conferences.

The invited speakers are leading microfluidics and nanofluidics researchers in Physics, Chemistry and the various engineering disciplines. It is the hope of the organization committee that this will be the first of a regular Pacific Rim conference on the topics.

We cordialy invite you to join the conference and look forward to see you in Hong Kong from January 5th to 7th, 2009.