Accelerate the path from lab concept to production-ready system.

Most microfluidic programs stall at the gap between a working lab concept and a manufacturable, scalable system. I provide independent engineering to close that gap, whether you are scaling a benchtop process, integrating fluidics into hardware, or recovering a stalled manufacturing engagement. I work directly with your team to break complex architectures into verifiable building blocks, de-risk each function independently, and integrate them into a reliable system at scale, keeping your program on a predictable, cost-effective timeline.

Engagements range from a focused design audit to ongoing embedded advisory, shaped around your program's stage and timeline.

0+ years across microfluidics R&D and leading CDMOs

0+ devices designed, built, and tested

Independent

When your design advisor is also your manufacturer, their recommendations will naturally reflect their own capabilities. My advice is free from that constraint, focused entirely on your performance targets, margins, and schedule.

Agile

Working with me is simple: one conversation to align, days to start, and direct access to the person doing the work. No management overhead, no layers between you and the expertise.

Hands-on

I have personally designed, fabricated, and tested microfluidic devices across glass, polymer, and silicon, from photolithography and CNC micromilling to injection molding and advanced bonding. My work goes beyond the screen. I know how devices behave on the factory floor.

Your Path from Science to Manufacturing

Choose your starting point to explore how we can work together.

The Challenge: A working prototype and a manufacturing-ready design are often very different things. Whether you are starting from a validated design or rescuing a stalled one, early Design for Manufacturability matters. I help you build a scale-up roadmap that aligns your design with cost-effective production, reducing delays and avoidable iteration cycles, including introductions to the right manufacturing partners for your specific design and volume requirements.

01

Alignment & Requirements

Defining the finish line before capital is spent. Mapping key performance metrics and target unit costs.
02

De-risking & Prototyping

Bridging the gap between the lab bench and scalable manufacturing. We break the design into key functional units, validating each independently before full integration, and orchestrating rapid prototyping through specialized partners or your own capabilities.
03

Refinement & Handoff

Protecting the design as it moves into production. Final design refinement and acting as your dedicated technical lead during the transfer to a manufacturing partner.

The Challenge: While your core focus remains on the biology, scaling biological processes from the benchtop to a pilot line fundamentally changes fluidic behavior. I design the custom fluidic systems required to scale your specific assays or synthesis reliably.

01

Biological Alignment

Translating science into technical requirements. Defining exact biological constraints and target yields.
02

Validation Loop

Proving the hardware reliably replicates your benchtop results. We isolate key fluidic behaviors and design custom systems to validate each function independently, guiding physical validation through your lab team or specialized partners.
03

Scaling & Deployment

Moving from the lab to a robust pilot line. Finalizing designs that integrate seamlessly into your existing workflows and production environment.

The Challenge: Whether handed down from a client or developed by your internal R&D team, lab-scale fluidic designs often lack the specific features required to interface seamlessly with industrial instrumentation. I embed with your team to identify failure modes at both the cartridge level and the cartridge-to-instrument interface, before system integration, protecting your scope and timeline.

01

Interface Audit

Identifying friction points between cartridge and instrument. Evaluating the fluidic design against your electromechanical constraints.
02

Iterative Testing

Catching hidden failure modes before full assembly by testing functional blocks independently. Designing rigorous testing protocols for isolated pumping, valving, and sensing prior to integration.
03

Final Integration

Ensuring robust, real-world system performance. Troubleshooting during the physical marriage of cartridge and instrument.

ALVARO J. CONDE, PHD

Independent Microfluidics & Systems Engineer

As a Biomedical Engineer who co-founded a microfluidic drug delivery startup in Argentina, I learned early that successful technologies require more than a CAD file. They require designing under real resource constraints, translating across disciplines, and bridging the communication gaps between biologists, clinicians, and hardware engineers.

Over the past 16+ years and 1,500+ devices, I have executed full-lifecycle engineering from the lab bench to the factory floor. My hands-on experience ranges from running biological experiments to architecting large-scale pharmaceutical programs, integrating sensors, actuators, and control systems, and collaborating with instrument builders.

I pair this approach with 6 years operating inside Micronit, a leading European microfluidics contract development and manufacturing company (ISO 13485). Because I understand exactly how facilities evaluate, price, and scale designs from the inside out, I help you foresee and resolve integration risks early, before they become costly.

LinkedIn • Google Scholar

Experience Across Applications

My work sits at the layer where your science meets your hardware. I have engineered microfluidic systems across a wide range of applications. Here are some of them:

Therapeutics

mRNA synthesis platforms
LNP and liposome-assisted synthesis

Diagnostics

cfDNA capture
IVD devices
Molecular platforms

Advanced Processing

Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF)
Precision mixing
Continuous-flow micro-manufacturing

Complex Consumables

Lab-on-a-chip
Organ-on-chip
Advanced polymer and glass architectures

Flexible Engagement Shapes

Every engagement begins with a short strategy call to understand where your program stands today, whether at ideation, mid-development, or navigating a difficult manufacturing phase. From there, we agree on the structure that fits best:

The Design Audit

A fixed-scope, intensive review of your current fluidic design and scale-up plan. You receive a clear assessment of potential risks and an actionable roadmap with concrete next steps, whether or not we continue working together.

Defined Project Engagement

Targeted, hands-on guidance through a specific phase: prototyping, biological validation, design refinement, or rescuing a stalled manufacturing engagement. Scoped with clear deliverables and timeline.

Embedded Advisory

Fractional, ongoing expertise embedded directly with your team, including technical representation during manufacturing partner selection and design transfer.

Let's discuss your next technical steps.

Every successful scale-up starts with a conversation. Book a confidential, 30-minute introductory call to discuss your current roadblocks and evaluate if we are a fit.

Book a Strategy Call

For direct inquiries alvaro@conde-engineering.com