Project number
25022
Organization
Roche Tissue Diagnostics
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
A fast and accurate diagnosis is essential for providing therapeutic results to cancer patients. A key part of this process is creating stained microscope slides. Roche (Ventana Medical Systems) has provided over 10,000 BenchMark ULTRA and ULTRA PLUS instruments to health providers. These devices use specific immunochemistry reagents for fast and automated staining of microscope slides. This project creates a system that can repeatedly and precisely characterize and optimize the reagent rinse and drain cycles of the Fenyx pump used in these devices. It integrates the microfluidic pump with stepper motors, a weight scale and an optical sensor using custom Python code.
The team built the BencH20 prototype to improve upon reagent cycles in the standard benchtop Fenyx pump. BencH2O includes a mechanical frame that supports pump tubing, a pressurized chamber, a weight scale, a slide bed and multiple stepper motors that allow the team to finely adjust the nozzle position relative to the slide. A Raspberry Pi 4 and Triple-Axis Trinamic controller will complete system commands by working mutually to communicate software code and firmware.
The Raspberry Pi stores weight data for further flow rate analysis. The team can run multiple tests in sequence to simplify the microfluidic delivery. This makes it ideal for diagnostic workflows.
The team built the BencH20 prototype to improve upon reagent cycles in the standard benchtop Fenyx pump. BencH2O includes a mechanical frame that supports pump tubing, a pressurized chamber, a weight scale, a slide bed and multiple stepper motors that allow the team to finely adjust the nozzle position relative to the slide. A Raspberry Pi 4 and Triple-Axis Trinamic controller will complete system commands by working mutually to communicate software code and firmware.
The Raspberry Pi stores weight data for further flow rate analysis. The team can run multiple tests in sequence to simplify the microfluidic delivery. This makes it ideal for diagnostic workflows.