Research Interests

The Tegenfeldt group relies on microfluidics and nanofluidics to engineer devices with applications in biology and medicine. Nanofluidics has been used to develop methods to handle and analyze DNA, continuing work that was \started during Tegenfeldt's postdoc. As one of the first groups, nanofluidics has also been used with nanoinjection-needles to realize a gentle approach to accessing the inside of living cells.

Currently, the group is focused on label-free sorting using microfluidics and based on deterministic lateral displacement (DLD).  The contribution of the Tegenfeldt group in this field is to further develop DLD so that it can be used for a wide range of characteristics, with proof of principle demonstrated for sorting based on deformability, shape, density, charge and secretion.

Recently, we have turned our attention to viscoelastic phenomena in microfluidics. We have observed highly regular concentration waves of high-concentration DNA solutions that move through arrays of microscopic pillars arranged in regular arrays. We have explored how different arrangements of the pillars as well as different shapes of the pillars influence both the existence and the overall appearance of the waves. Being able to control the waves, current efforts are directed at demonstrating applications such as efficient mixing and high-throughput sorting.

Teaching Interests

The main teaching effort of Tegenfeldt takes place as the responsible for the course Experimental Biophysics (https://canvas.education.lu.se/courses/12012) that is given each year. The course covers topics with strong connection to activities at the university with for example advanced microscopy, microfluidics, cell mechanics, nanobiotechnology, nanosafety. The course is not based on a textbook. Instead, it uses relevant scientific research articles. The aim is to keep the course as close as possible to current research.