ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes a system-level design methodology that attempts to apply classical architectural-level synthesis techniques to the design of digital microfluidic biochips. It also focuses on the problem of scheduling assay functions under resource constraints. Design automation research for digital microfluidic biochips can benefit from classical computer-aided design techniques. Synthesis of integrated circuits is a well-studied problem and advances in high-level and logic synthesis techniques continue provides an excellent survey of high-level synthesis work. The chapter shows how conventional high-level synthesis methods can be leveraged for the emerging biochip domain. The in vitro measurement of glucose and other metabolites, such as lactate, glutamate, and pyruvate, in human physiological fluids is of great importance in clinical diagnosis of metabolic disorders. For instance, the change of regular metabolic parameters in the patient’s blood can signal organ damage or dysfunction prior to observable microscopic cellular damages or other symptoms.
