Brian McKenna

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Papers

Total Citations

108

H-Index

About

Brian McKenna is a pioneering researcher in microfluidic systems and high-throughput biological analysis, whose work has fundamentally advanced the scalability of genomic and cellular screening technologies. He is best known for engineering large-scale microfabricated platforms that dramatically accelerate biological workflows previously constrained by conventional instrumentation. His landmark 2005 paper, "A 768-Lane Microfabricated System for High-Throughput DNA Sequencing," garnered 71 citations and introduced an ambitious successor to standard 96-lane capillary arrays, implementing electrophoretic separations across unprecedented 25 cm × 50 cm microdevices — a feat that redefined expectations for parallelism in genomic sequencing. Building on this foundation, McKenna extended his microfluidic expertise into cellular analysis, developing a 384-channel parallel microfluidic cytometer capable of screening rare cells across 384 unique samples in just 6–10 minutes — roughly 30 times faster than conventional FACS systems — earning 31 citations for this significant methodological advance. Across his body of work, McKenna consistently demonstrates an ability to translate ambitious engineering concepts into practical, high-impact biological tools, making him an important figure for researchers working at the intersection of microfluidics, genomics, and high-throughput screening.