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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/Y012569/1
Title: Soft Matter and microfluidics for the next generation of applications in engineering and healthcare
Principal Investigator: Del Giudice, Dr F
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
University of Illinois at Chicago University of Tokyo
Department: College of Engineering
Organisation: Swansea University
Scheme: Overseas Travel Grants (OTGS)
Starts: 01 April 2024 Ends: 31 March 2025 Value (£): 19,129
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Complex fluids & soft solids Microsystems
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
I will visit 2 international centres of excellence, namely the group of Prof. Keisuke Goda at the University of Tokyo (Japan) and the group of Prof. Charles Schroeder at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) to i) learn two state-of the art techniques and ii) to establish new collaborations combining the unique activities carried out in my lab at Swansea University, developed under EP/S036490/1, with their pioneering technologies spanning the fields of artificial intelligence applied to microfluidics (Japan) and passive 3D flow control of objects in Stokes flow (USA). The group of Prof. Goda has pioneered the use of artificial intelligence to enable rapid detection of different cell-line populations. The group of Prof. Schroeder has recently developed a microfluidic platform using the proprietary Stokes Trap technique (developed earlier by the same group) to trap and manipulate objects in 3D flows.

During my visits, we will achieve the following overall goals: i) Employ my expertise in generating strings of equally-spaced particles in simple microfluidic geometries, further enhanced under EP/S036490/1, to transform the image activated cell-sorter developed by the group of Prof. Goda; and ii) employ my expertise in controlling the encapsulation of particles in viscoelastic liquids within microfluidic geometries to study particle-particle interactions within compartmentalised droplets trapped using the Stokes trap.

The impact of this travel can be quantified as: i) establish two new collaborations between the UK and several world-leading research groups, who are currently at the forefront of their field of study; and ii) apply for joint grant applications based on the preliminary data developed during this project.

Furthermore, we foresee a clear pathway to develop new technologies aimed at transforming healthcare, thanks to the long-term involvement of companies within our network portfolio.

Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.swan.ac.uk