Lab-on-a-chip devices are microfluidic cells that incorporate pipes, reaction vessels, valves and a host of other implements typically found in laboratories. These components are typically carved into a flat plastic plate smaller than a credit card to enable efficient processing of microliter-volume samples. The use of plastic, however, has several drawbacks that could be remedied by using glass. Unfortunately, glass chips have proved difficult to fabricate due to their fragility. Yo Tanaka from the RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center has now developed a reliable and durable system for incorporating glass microfluidics into lab-on-a-chip devices.
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