Roll-to-roll for flexible, fast and cost-effective next generation fluidics
03.09.2025
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Image: Montalvo.com. |
- The new method accelerates and reduces the cost of handling fluidics.
- Thomas Hermans contributes to this work with the rationalisation of the fluidics system performance.
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Madrid, August 5th, 2025. The Group of Systems Chemistry led by Thomas Hermans at IMDEA Nanociencia in collaboration with researchers at the Beijing Genomics Institute (China) have introduced a novel method that could significantly accelerate and reduce the cost of handling fluidics. The work has recently been published in Nature Methods.
The method was applied to a specific problem. Traditional DNA sequencing relies on flow cells, where liquid reagents are repeatedly pumped in and out to for each of the sequencing reactions. For large-scale sequencing, this process involves immersing silicon wafers into reagents—a method that works well at industrial scale but is impractical for smaller labs or clinical settings, where sample sizes are limited and drying effects become a problem.
The new approach turns that process on its head. Instead of pumping fluids through a chamber, the researchers use a roll-to-roll technique that gently shears the liquid across the surface. This dramatically improves efficiency, allowing reagents to be replaced more quickly and using up to 85 times less material. As a result, DNA sequencing that once took days can now be completed in under 12 hours, with significantly lower reagent costs.
Scheme of the r2r-fl setup. Credit: Nature Methods.
“It’s a new way of thinking about fluidics,” said Prof. Thomas Hermans. “It is the classical textbook example—an ideal fluidic system with a moving wall. Until now, it has found little use, because previous implementations were very impractical. But with this roll-to-roll approach, we’ve now made this textbook concept a reality.”
The contribution of Thomas Hermans was key for rationalising the fluid dynamics in this new system, using numerical simulations to understand pressure drop and mass transfer efficiencies across the device. This new method could have far-reaching implications, not just for DNA sequencing, but for a wide range of applications in healthcare and beyond.
This work is a collaboration of researchers at MGI Tech Co. (Shenzhen, China), the Beijing Genomics Institute, Fuzhou University, South China University of Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, the Riverside Research Institute (Lexington, USA) and Thomas Hermans from IMDEA Nanociencia.
Reference:
Yanzhe Qin, Stephan A. Koehler et al. Fast, cost-effective, and flexible DNA sequencing by roll-to-roll fluidics. Nature Methods 2025, DOI: 10.1038/s41592-025-02730-2
Link to IMDEA Nanociencia Repository: tba
Contact:
Thomas Hermans
Systems Chemistry Laboratory https://www.imdeananociencia.org/systems-chemistry-laboratory/home
hlab.nanociencia at imdea dot org
IMDEA Nanociencia Dissemination and Communication Office
divulgacion.nanociencia [at]imdea.org
Source: IMDEA Nanociencia.
IMDEA Nanociencia Institute is a young interdisciplinary research Centre in Madrid (Spain) dedicated to the exploration of nanoscience and the development of applications of nanotechnology in connection with innovative industries.
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