A/Prof Donald Wlodkowic

 

VC Senior Research Fellow School of Applied Sciences College of Science, Engineering and Health RMIT University Bundoora West Campus, Building 223 Plenty Road, PO Box 71 Bundoora, Victoria 3083 Australia Research Group: The BioMEMS Research Group   Email: link Phone: +61 3 992 57157

 

Current Research Activities

Associate Professor Donald Wlodkowic is a Vice-Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow (2013-2016) and ARC DECRA Fellow (2013-2015). He is directing a new BioMEMS Research Group at School of Applied Sciences RMIT. The group is a unique multidisciplinary laboratory where mechatronics, electronics and robotics meet biotechnology, biology and biochemistry in one truly exceptional melting pot. Donald has a broad academic and industrial expertise in the multidisciplinary product development and rapid prototyping. In particular, he has international know-how in development of innovative Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) technologies, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) as well as technological improvements in biomedical and environmental laboratory automation.

Specific emphasis of BioMEMS Research Group’s R&D portfolio is put on development of low-cost/low-tech but robust bioanalytical technologies using innovative fabrication processes such as additive manufacturing (3D printing) and OpenSource electronic hardware and software implementations. In this regards the group has recently created an OpenSource Lab-on-a-Chip Initiative aimed at developing integrated framework of community collaboration for disseminating of low-cost smart bioanalytical devices.

The present work of the BioMEMS Research Group focuses on the development of innovative Lab-on-a-Chip technologies for analysis of multicellular small model organisms both invertebrate and vertebrate. In particular the group has pioneered chip-based technologies for 4D studies of developing zebrafish embryos and clawed African fro in developmental biology. The group is also engaged in development of the next generation analytical systems for ecotoxicology and environmental biomonitoring.

Selected Publications
- Wang K, Salcic Z, Yeh J, Akagi J, Zhu F, Hall CJ, Crosier KE, Crosier PS, Wlodkowic D. Towards Embedded Laboratory Automation for Smart Lab-on-a-Chip Embryo Arrays. Biosensors Bioelectronics 2013; 48:188-196
- Skommer J, Akagi J, Takeda K, Fujimura Y, Khoshmanesh K, Wlodkowic D. Multiparameter Lab-on-a-Chip Flow Cytometry of the Cell Cycle. Biosensors Bioelectronics 2013;42:586-591.
- Akagi J, Kordon M, Zhao H, Matuszek A, Dobrucki J, Errington R, Smith PJ, Takeda K, Darzynkiewicz Z and Wlodkowic D. Real-time cell viability assays using a new anthracycline derivative DRAQ7. Cytometry A. 2013; 83(2):227-34.
- Akagi J, Khoshmanesh K, Hall CJ, Cooper JM, Crosier KE, Crosier PS, Wlodkowic D. Fish on Chips: Microfluidic Living Embryo Array for Accelerated In Vivo Angiogenesis Assays. Sens Actuators B Chem 2012 (in press; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2012.11.036).
- Akagi J, Takeda K, Fujimura Y, Matuszek A, Khoshmanesh K, Wlodkowic D. Microflow Cytometry in Studies of Programmed Tumor Cell Death. Sens Actuators B Chem 2012 (in press; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2012.10.124 ).
- Wang K, Andrews M, Salcic Z, Bates A, Scott T, Akagi J and Wlodkowic D. Unsupervised image analysis for zebrafish embryogenesis using lab-on-a-chip embryo arrays. International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications (IJISTA) 2013 (in press).
- Wang K, Yeh J, Salcic Z, Akagi J and Wlodkowic D. FPGA-based bio-cybernetic automation system for lab-on-a-chip zebrafish embryo arrays. International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications (IJISTA) 2013 (in press).
- Akagi J, Khoshmanesh K, Evans B, Hall CJ, Crosier KE, Cooper JM, Crosier PS, Wlodkowic D. Miniaturized Embryo Array for Automated Trapping, Immobilization and Microperfusion of Zebrafish Embryos. PLoS One 2012; 7(5):e36630.
- Khoshmanesh K, Akagi J, Hall CJ, Crosier KE, Crosier PS, Cooper JM, Wlodkowic D. Rationale for Large Metazoan Embryo Manipulations on Chip-Based Devices. Biomicrofluidics. 2012; 6(2): 24102-2410214.


 

Existing Linkages

MicroNano Research Facility, RMIT University
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, RMIT University
School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University
Centre for Aquatic Pollution Identification and Management (CAPIM), University of Melbourne
Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, FMHS, The University of Auckland
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Auckland
School of Engineering, University of Glasgow
Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department of Biology, Tufts University
Brander Cancer Research Institute, Department of Pathology, New York Medical College