Cellbox Labs is developing miniature human organ replicas to help pharmaceutical companies to perform preclinical tests in human-like organs. We use material and fabrication methods of microfluidic chips that are superior to an existing solution since they are suitable for mass manufacturing and drug testing. As the CTO, I am leading the team in microfluidic chip and complementary instrument development.

I am currently involved in microfluidic project development with a focus on organ-on-chip device concept design and fabrication utilising mass-manufacturable techniques. Throughout my tenure at ISSP UL I have participated in attracting 1.07 M EUR of funding to the host institution in the last 3 years. I have also been one of the inventors for a European patent application related to organ on chip devices.

I was involved in the design and the development of disposable microfluidic cartridges and sample collection devices for the diagnostic tests that QuantuMDx is developing. My key responsibilities included the principle design and prototyping of various microfluidic circuit elements that will be utilised in the next, mass-produced disposable microfluidic cartridge. I was the technical lead in three of seven work packages related to the development of the microfluidic disposable, with a particular focus on the sample preparation and DNA concentration stages. As a part of the work package development, I led small teams of up to five people in size. My current work at QuantuMDx has also resulted in filling multiple patent applications and a patent (WO2020109798A1) relating to microfluidic device development.

My PhD was focused on the development of microfluidic chips for medical diagnostics field, particularly biosensors and wearable medical devices. I have a broad experience in microfluidic system design, along with expertise in electromechanical design and fluid dynamics.My hands-on experience in physical device prototyping is ranging from microfabrication in the cleanroom to 3D printing, and CNC machining, and other skills listed below. Along with physical prototyping of the devices, I have gained extensive experience in multiple CAD programs. Through side projects, I have worked on designing master molds for disposable injection molded chips, giving me experience in design for manufacturing.The key achievements from my PhD:» Designed, fabricated and characterised a piezoelectric-based micropump with 10x higher efficiency than previously reported. Publication in progress.» Developed a protocol for three-dimensional microfluidic channel fabrication with 50x reduction in cost and 3x reduction in time comparing to standard cleanroom manufacturing protocol» Built a device that incorporates multi-channel RF signal generating and amplifying in a single design, consequently decreasing the footprint of the device 3 times, and lowering the cost of the setup 50x.» Participated in 3 side-projects assisting with microfluidic system design, along with the mechanical design of flow cells, and disposable microfluidic chips. Resulting in a publication in the Scientific Reports.My skills:» Rapid prototyping:・Microfabrication ・Wet and dry etching ・3D printing ・Soft-lithography・CNC machining ・Laser cutting»Electronics:・High-frequency circuitry ・Network analysers ・Amplifiers ・PCB design»Microfluidics:・Medical device design ・PDMS based systems ・SU8/Glass based systems»Software skills:・Solidworks ・Tanner L-edit ・Eagle PCB ・Microwave Office ・Simplify3D ・Origin Pro ・Python ・MS Office suite

This summer internship was carried out in Professor Andrew Nelson’s research group at the School of Chemistry. The main focus was the study of nanoparticle interactions with phospholipid monolayers. This was achieved by using Rapid Cyclic Voltammetry (RCV) to form monolayers on electrodes, further monolayer permeability to nanoparticles was investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM). Main outcomes from this internship were redesigned and improved experimental setup which allows to investigate samples using STM, which previously was not possible, and basic conductivity data of phospholipid monolayers. The internship was carried out as a part of the Nuffield Science Bursary award.

This internship was carried out in Prof. Medvid’s research group at the Institute of Technical Physics. Goal of this internship was to study the effect of crystal defect migration in Ge after laser radiation. This was achieved by obtaining current-voltage characteristics of chemically treated and/or laser-irradiated Ge single crystal samples. irradiation was done with first, second and fourth harmonic of Nd:YAG laser. Based on data acquired during this internship a publication in Nanoscale Research Letters (impact factor: 2.481) was made.