Arvind and Nik publish the lab’s first research paper in Lab on a chip!  Plastic microfluidic devices have unique advantages over conventional silicone rubber devices, particularly when it comes to cell cultures that involve small, hydrophobic molecules.  Given that this applies to many hormones, microfluidicists have to be careful as to how they set up new organs-on-a-chip.  Frustrated with how difficult/expensive it is to make new plastic device designs using conventional hot embossing techniques, Arvind built a frankenstein “thermal scriber” to scratch out microfluidics on demand. Brand new plastic device designs ready in a few hours!  With our outstanding collaborators in the Spicer lab, they showed that human neutrophils have a surprisingly high capacity to form “Neutrophil extracellular traps”, a mesh-like structure of DNA spewed out of the cell as a defense mechanism against various threats.  Check out the full paper at Lab on a Chip, or on our publications page!