The University of British Columbia

3 Credits

ELEC 473

Principles of sensors, actuators, microfluidics, biotechnology and nanotechnology, with applications in probing, detection, assaying and drug delivery.

Course Outline

The course will cover basic principles of sensors, actuators, microfluidics, bio-nanotechnology, with applications in probing, detection, assaying and drug delivery. This course will accommodate students from various backgrounds, providing a short introduction to topics including biology, biochemistry, and neuroscience.

Course Objectives

• By the end of the term, students should be able to:
• Compare biomedical microdevices with current macroscale devices.
• Discuss reasons for miniaturization.
• Explain commonly used biosensing principles and describe how they are used in example devices.
• Evaluate current literature: read scientific journal papers, and understand the goals and conclusions.

Course Topics

• Microfabrication basics, rapid prototyping for microfluidic devices
• DNA chips
• Protein chips
• Neural applications
• Flow cytometry and cell seperation
• Mechanical biosensors