Case Study: Massachusetts General Hospital achieves better inertial focusing modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics

Massachusetts General Hospital validates inertial focusing with Comsol in 50 µm channels

Massachusetts General Hospital researchers needed to understand and control the microfluidic process of inertial focusing to design better medical diagnostic devices for isolating cells. They partnered with Comsol and used Comsol Multiphysics software to accurately model the complex forces that determine how particles and cells move and focus within straight and curved microchannels.

Comsol implemented a sophisticated two-step CFD model to predict particle equilibrium positions, a solution that standard particle tracing could not achieve. The results from the Comsol model showed excellent agreement with experimental measurements, validating the approach. This capability to rapidly simulate design changes saves significant experimental time and directly guides the optimization of life-saving diagnostic devices.

Massachusetts General Hospital