Motion, recirculation and organization of droplets in microchannel depends on many parameters, including the film thickness surrounding the droplets, surface tension, presence of surfactants, channel roughness, etc. In the laboratory we study how these physical-chemistry aspects influence the droplet dynamics.

Due to the emergence of liquid biopsy as a non-invasive technique for replacing traditional detection protocols, such as CT scans and surgical biopsies, microfluidics is gaining popularity in the field of biological assays, in particular concerning medical diagnostics. Liquid biopsy has opened new avenues for detecting diseases and predispositions through the analysis of biomarkers present in bodily fluids, such as Extracellular Vesicles (EVs). In this scenario, our goal is to develop new droplet microfluidic devices for the isolation of these vesicles directly from biological samples. Each droplet would act as a single reactor, reducing the volume and time needed for the analysis and reducing the amount of single use material, thus reducing waste and having a positive ecological impact on the environment.