Light-seeking algae might become the workhorses of the next generation of lab-on-a-chip devices, the Materials Research Society meeting in Boston heard last week. Labs-on-a-chip are used for medical and genetic analysis, and typically consist of arrays of microscopic wells containing chemicals that react with any biological cells that are added. Researchers are constantly on the lookout for better ways to get the cells to the right wells.
Water-borne Chlamydomonas algae are phototactic – they swim towards light if it is at a wavelength they can use for photosynthesis. Douglas Weibel, a chemist at Harvard University, wondered if he could harness…
