Development of a microfluidic device with a micro-pillar stabilized liquid membrane for electromembrane extractions in pharmaceutical applications

PhD defence by Anna Thu Hoai Nguyen

Assessment Committee

Associate professor Stefan Stürup, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Dr Drago Sticker, Novo Nordisk
Professor Lorena Vidal, University of Alicante

Supervisors

Professor Jörg P. Kutter
Associate Professor Nickolaj Petersen
Professor Stig Pedersen-Bjergaard

Department

Department of Pharmacy

Graduate Programme

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Place

Building: 12, Room: Benzon Auditoriet, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 København Ø

Email address to gain access to the thesis: anna.nguyen@sund.ku.dk.
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Short description of the thesis

Efficient sample preparation is essential for the analysis of pharmaceutical compounds, and miniaturized technologies offer new opportunities to make this process more sustainable. This PhD project focused on electromembrane extraction (EME), a technique that uses an electric field to selectively transport charged compounds across a liquid membrane. A reusable microfluidic chip was developed in which micropillar structures stabilize the liquid membrane, overcoming a key challenge in miniaturized EME. The chip enabled low-voltage extraction of pharmaceutical compounds from simple solutions as well as urine and saliva, while using very small amounts of solvent. The work provides a foundation for future automated and integrated sample preparation in pharmaceutical and bioanalytical applications.