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Sharan P, Nsamela A, Lesher-Pérez SC, Simmchen J. Microfluidics for Microswimmers: Engineering Novel Swimmers and Constructing Swimming Lanes on the Microscale, a Tutorial Review. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2021; 17:e2007403. [PMID: 33949106 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202007403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
This paper provides an updated review of recent advances in microfluidics applied to artificial and biohybrid microswimmers. Sharing the common regime of low Reynolds number, the two fields have been brought together to take advantage of the fluid characteristics at the microscale, benefitting microswimmer research multifold. First, microfluidics offer simple and relatively low-cost devices for high-fidelity production of microswimmers made of organic and inorganic materials in a variety of shapes and sizes. Microscale confinement and the corresponding fluid properties have demonstrated differential microswimmer behaviors in microchannels or in the presence of various types of physical or chemical stimuli. Custom environments to study these behaviors have been designed in large part with the help of microfluidics. Evaluating microswimmers in increasingly complex lab environments such as microfluidic systems can ensure more effective implementation for in-field applications. The benefits of microfluidics for the fabrication and evaluation of microswimmers are balanced by the potential use of microswimmers for sample manipulation and processing in microfluidic systems, a large obstacle in diagnostic and other testing platforms. In this review various ways in which these two complementary technology fields will enhance microswimmer development and implementation in various fields are introduced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Sharan
- Chair of Physical Chemistry, TU Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany
| | | | | | - Juliane Simmchen
- Chair of Physical Chemistry, TU Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany
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52
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Abdulla Yusuf H. Analytical Modelling, CFD Simulation, and Experimental Validation of n-butanol-Diesel/Biodiesel Fuel Blends in a Microfluidic System. ARABIAN JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13369-020-05073-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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53
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Abdulla Yusuf H, Hossain SMZ, Khamis AA, Radhi HT, Jaafar AS, Fielden PR. A Hybrid Microfluidic Differential Carbonator Approach for Enhancing Microalgae Growth: Inline Monitoring Through Optical Imaging. ARABIAN JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13369-021-05353-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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54
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Ahmed HMMAM, Moreira Teixeira LS. New Endeavors of (Micro)Tissue Engineering: Cells Tissues Organs on-Chip and Communication Thereof. Cells Tissues Organs 2021; 211:721-735. [PMID: 34198305 DOI: 10.1159/000516356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of new therapies is tremendously hampered by the insufficient availability of human model systems suitable for preclinical research on disease target identification, drug efficacy, and toxicity. Thus, drug failures in clinical trials are too common and too costly. Animal models or standard 2D in vitro tissue cultures, regardless of whether they are human based, are regularly not representative of specific human responses. Approaching near human tissues and organs test systems is the key goal of organs-on-chips (OoC) technology. This technology is currently showing its potential to reduce both drug development costs and time-to-market, while critically lessening animal testing. OoC are based on human (stem) cells, potentially derived from healthy or disease-affected patients, thereby amenable to personalized therapy development. It is noteworthy that the OoC market potential goes beyond pharma, with the possibility to test cosmetics, food additives, or environmental contaminants. This (micro)tissue engineering-based technology is highly multidisciplinary, combining fields such as (developmental) biology, (bio)materials, microfluidics, sensors, and imaging. The enormous potential of OoC is currently facing an exciting new challenge: emulating cross-communication between tissues and organs, to simulate more complex systemic responses, such as in cancer, or restricted to confined environments, as occurs in osteoarthritis. This review describes key examples of multiorgan/tissue-on-chip approaches, or linked organs/tissues-on-chip, focusing on challenges and promising new avenues of this advanced model system. Additionally, major emphasis is given to the translation of established tissue engineering approaches, bottom up and top down, towards the development of more complex, robust, and representative (multi)organ/tissue-on-chip approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haysam M M A M Ahmed
- Department of Developmental Bioengineering, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands,
| | - Liliana S Moreira Teixeira
- Department of Developmental Bioengineering, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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55
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Khan A, Smith NM, Tullier MP, Roberts BS, Englert D, Pojman JA, Melvin AT. Development of a Flow-free Gradient Generator Using a Self-Adhesive Thiol-acrylate Microfluidic Resin/Hydrogel (TAMR/H) Hybrid System. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:26735-26747. [PMID: 34081856 PMCID: PMC8289190 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c04771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic gradient generators have been used to study cellular migration, growth, and drug response in numerous biological systems. One type of device combines a hydrogel and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to generate "flow-free" gradients; however, their requirements for either negative flow or external clamps to maintain fluid-tight seals between the two layers have restricted their utility among broader applications. In this work, a two-layer, flow-free microfluidic gradient generator was developed using thiol-ene chemistry. Both rigid thiol-acrylate microfluidic resin (TAMR) and diffusive thiol-acrylate hydrogel (H) layers were synthesized from commercially available monomers at room temperature and pressure using a base-catalyzed Michael addition. The device consisted of three parallel microfluidic channels negatively imprinted in TAMR layered on top of the thiol-acrylate hydrogel to facilitate orthogonal diffusion of chemicals to the direction of flow. Upon contact, these two layers formed fluid-tight channels without any external pressure due to a strong adhesive interaction between the two layers. The diffusion of molecules through the TAMR/H system was confirmed both experimentally (using fluorescent microscopy) and computationally (using COMSOL). The performance of the TAMR/H system was compared to a conventional PDMS/agarose device with a similar geometry by studying the chemorepulsive response of a motile strain of GFP-expressing Escherichia coli. Population-based analysis confirmed a similar migratory response of both wild-type and mutant E. coli in both of the microfluidic devices. This confirmed that the TAMR/H hybrid system is a viable alternative to traditional PDMS-based microfluidic gradient generators and can be used for several different applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anowar
H. Khan
- Department
of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge 70803, Louisiana, United States
| | - Noah Mulherin Smith
- Cain
Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana
State University, Baton Rouge 70803, Louisiana, United States
| | - Michael P. Tullier
- Department
of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge 70803, Louisiana, United States
| | - B. Seth Roberts
- Cain
Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana
State University, Baton Rouge 70803, Louisiana, United States
| | - Derek Englert
- Chemical
and Materials Engineering, University of
Kentucky, Paducah 42002, Kentucky, United States
| | - John A. Pojman
- Department
of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge 70803, Louisiana, United States
| | - Adam T. Melvin
- Cain
Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana
State University, Baton Rouge 70803, Louisiana, United States
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56
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Samandari M, Rafiee L, Alipanah F, Sanati-Nezhad A, Javanmard SH. A simple, low cost and reusable microfluidic gradient strategy and its application in modeling cancer invasion. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10310. [PMID: 33986379 PMCID: PMC8119451 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89635-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Microfluidic chemical gradient generators enable precise spatiotemporal control of chemotactic signals to study cellular behavior with high resolution and reliability. However, time and cost consuming preparation steps for cell adhesion in microchannels as well as requirement of pumping facilities usually complicate the application of the microfluidic assays. Here, we introduce a simple strategy for preparation of a reusable and stand-alone microfluidic gradient generator to study cellular behavior. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is directly mounted on the commercial polystyrene-based cell culture surfaces by manipulating the PDMS curing time to optimize bonding strength. The stand-alone strategy not only offers pumpless application of this microfluidic device but also ensures minimal fluidic pressure and consequently a leakage-free system. Elimination of any surface treatment or coating significantly facilitates the preparation of the microfluidic assay and offers a detachable PDMS microchip which can be reused following to a simple cleaning and sterilization step. The chemotactic signal in our microchip is further characterized using numerical and experimental evaluations and it is demonstrated that the device can generate both linear and polynomial signals. Finally, the feasibility of the strategy in deciphering cellular behavior is demonstrated by exploring cancer cell migration and invasion in response to chemical stimuli. The introduced strategy can significantly decrease the complexity of the microfluidic chemotaxis assays and increase their throughput for various cellular and molecular studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamadmahdi Samandari
- Department of Physiology, Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, 81746-73461, Iran
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA
| | - Laleh Rafiee
- Department of Physiology, Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, 81746-73461, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Alipanah
- Department of Physiology, Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, 81746-73461, Iran
| | - Amir Sanati-Nezhad
- Center for Bioengineering Research and Education, and Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Shaghayegh Haghjooy Javanmard
- Department of Physiology, Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, 81746-73461, Iran.
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57
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Khater A, Abdelrehim O, Mohammadi M, Mohamad A, Sanati-Nezhad A. Thermal droplet microfluidics: From biology to cooling technology. Trends Analyt Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2021.116234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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58
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Ly KL, Hu P, Pham LHP, Luo X. Flow-assembled chitosan membranes in microfluidics: recent advances and applications. J Mater Chem B 2021; 9:3258-3283. [PMID: 33725061 PMCID: PMC8369861 DOI: 10.1039/d1tb00045d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The integration of membranes in microfluidic devices has been extensively exploited for various chemical engineering and bioengineering applications over the past few decades. To augment the applicability of membrane-integrated microfluidic platforms for biomedical and tissue engineering studies, a biologically friendly fabrication process with naturally occurring materials is highly desired. The in situ preparation of membranes involving interfacial reactions between parallel laminar flows in microfluidic networks, known as the flow-assembly technique, is one of the most biocompatible approaches. Membranes of many types with flexible geometries have been successfully assembled inside complex microchannels using this facile and versatile flow-assembly approach. Chitosan is a naturally abundant polysaccharide known for its pronounced biocompatibility, biodegradability, good mechanical stability, ease of modification and processing, and film-forming ability under near-physiological conditions. Chitosan membranes assembled by flows in microfluidics are freestanding, robust, semipermeable, and well-aligned in microstructure, and show high affinity to bioactive reagents and biological components (e.g. biomolecules, nanoparticles, or cells) that provide facile biological functionalization of microdevices. Here, we discuss the recent developments and optimizations in the flow-assembly of chitosan membranes and chitosan-based membranes in microfluidics. Furthermore, we recapitulate the applications of the chitosan membrane-integrated microfluidic platforms dedicated to biology, biochemistry, and drug release fields, and envision the future developments of this important platform with versatile functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khanh L Ly
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA
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59
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Li N, Yang F, Parthasarathy S, St. Pierre S, Hong K, Pavon N, Pak C, Sun Y. Patterning Neuroepithelial Cell Sheet via a Sustained Chemical Gradient Generated by Localized Passive Diffusion Devices. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2021; 7:1713-1721. [PMID: 33751893 PMCID: PMC11146006 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c01365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)-derived in vitro models open a new avenue for studying early stage human development. While current approaches leverage the self-organizing capability of hPSCs, it remains unclear whether extrinsic morphogen gradients are sufficient to pattern neuroectoderm tissues in vitro. While microfluidics or hydrogel-based approaches to generate chemical gradients are well-established, these systems either require continuous pumping or encapsulating cells in gels, making it difficult for adaptation in standard biology laboratories and downstream analysis. In this work, we report a new device design that leverages localized passive diffusion, or LPaD for short, to generate a stable chemical gradient in an open environment. As LPaD is operated simply by media changing, common issues for microfluidic systems such as leakage, bubble formation, and contamination can be avoided. The device contains a slit carved in a film filled with solid gelatin and connected to a static aqueous morphogen reservoir. Concentration gradients generated by the device were visualized via DAPI fluorescent intensity and were found to be stable for up to 168 h. Using this device, we successfully induced cellular response of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells to the concentration gradient of a small-molecule drug, cytochalasin D. Furthermore, we efficiently patterned the dorsal-ventral axis of hPSC-derived forebrain neuroepithelial cells with the sonic hedgehog (Shh) signal gradient generated by the LPaD devices. Together, LPaD devices are powerful tools to control the local chemical microenvironment for engineering organotypic structures in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningwei Li
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
| | - Feiyu Yang
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
| | - Subiksha Parthasarathy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
| | - Sarah St. Pierre
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
| | - Kelly Hong
- Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
| | - Narciso Pavon
- Neuronscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
| | - ChangHui Pak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
| | - Yubing Sun
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
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60
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Aich A, Lamarre Y, Sacomani DP, Kashima S, Covas DT, de la Torre LG. Microfluidics in Sickle Cell Disease Research: State of the Art and a Perspective Beyond the Flow Problem. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 7:558982. [PMID: 33763448 PMCID: PMC7982466 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.558982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the monogenic hemoglobinopathy where mutated sickle hemoglobin molecules polymerize to form long fibers under deoxygenated state and deform red blood cells (RBCs) into predominantly sickle form. Sickled RBCs stick to the vascular bed and obstruct blood flow in extreme conditions, leading to acute painful vaso-occlusion crises (VOCs) – the leading cause of mortality in SCD. Being a blood disorder of deformed RBCs, SCD manifests a wide-range of organ-specific clinical complications of life (in addition to chronic pain) such as stroke, acute chest syndrome (ACS) and pulmonary hypertension in the lung, nephropathy, auto-splenectomy, and splenomegaly, hand-foot syndrome, leg ulcer, stress erythropoiesis, osteonecrosis and osteoporosis. The physiological inception for VOC was initially thought to be only a fluid flow problem in microvascular space originated from increased viscosity due to aggregates of sickled RBCs; however, over the last three decades, multiple molecular and cellular mechanisms have been identified that aid the VOC in vivo. Activation of adhesion molecules in vascular endothelium and on RBC membranes, activated neutrophils and platelets, increased viscosity of the blood, and fluid physics driving sickled and deformed RBCs to the vascular wall (known as margination of flow) – all of these come together to orchestrate VOC. Microfluidic technology in sickle research was primarily adopted to benefit from mimicking the microvascular network to observe RBC flow under low oxygen conditions as models of VOC. However, over the last decade, microfluidics has evolved as a valuable tool to extract biophysical characteristics of sickle red cells, measure deformability of sickle red cells under simulated oxygen gradient and shear, drug testing, in vitro models of intercellular interaction on endothelialized or adhesion molecule-functionalized channels to understand adhesion in sickle microenvironment, characterizing biomechanics and microrheology, biomarker identification, and last but not least, for developing point-of-care diagnostic technologies for low resource setting. Several of these platforms have already demonstrated true potential to be translated from bench to bedside. Emerging microfluidics-based technologies for studying heterotypic cell–cell interactions, organ-on-chip application and drug dosage screening can be employed to sickle research field due to their wide-ranging advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupam Aich
- Intel Corporation, Hillsboro, OR, United States
| | - Yann Lamarre
- Center for Cell-based Therapy, Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Daniel Pereira Sacomani
- Department of Material and Bioprocess Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Simone Kashima
- Center for Cell-based Therapy, Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Dimas Tadeu Covas
- Center for Cell-based Therapy, Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Lucimara Gaziola de la Torre
- Department of Material and Bioprocess Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
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61
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Pekdemir S, Ipekci HH, Serhatlioglu M, Elbuken C, Onses MS. SERS-active linear barcodes by microfluidic-assisted patterning. J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 584:11-18. [PMID: 33035799 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.09.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Simple, low-cost, robust, and scalable fabrication of microscopic linear barcodes with high levels of complexity and multiple authentication layers is critical for emerging applications in information security and anti-counterfeiting. This manuscript presents a novel approach for fabrication of microscopic linear barcodes that can be visualized under Raman microscopy. Microfluidic channels are used as molds to generate linear patterns of end-grafted polymers on a substrate. These patterns serve as templates for area-selective binding of colloidal gold nanoparticles resulting in plasmonic arrays. The deposition of multiple taggant molecules on the plasmonic arrays via a second microfluidic mold results in a linear barcode with unique Raman fingerprints that are enhanced by the underlying plasmonic nanoparticles. The width of the bars is as small as 10 μm, with a total barcode length on the order of 100 μm. The simultaneous use of geometric and chemical security layers provides a high level of complexity challenging the counterfeiting of the barcodes. The additive, scalable, and inexpensive nature of the presented approach can be easily adapted to different colloidal nanomaterials and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sami Pekdemir
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38039, Turkey; ERNAM - Erciyes University Nanotechnology Application and Research Center, Kayseri, 38039, Turkey
| | - Hasan Hüseyin Ipekci
- ERNAM - Erciyes University Nanotechnology Application and Research Center, Kayseri, 38039, Turkey; Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, 42090, Turkey
| | - Murat Serhatlioglu
- UNAM-National Nanotechnology Research Center, Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Caglar Elbuken
- UNAM-National Nanotechnology Research Center, Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey; Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland.
| | - M Serdar Onses
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38039, Turkey; ERNAM - Erciyes University Nanotechnology Application and Research Center, Kayseri, 38039, Turkey; UNAM-National Nanotechnology Research Center, Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey.
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62
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Jeong HH. Recent Developments in Bacterial Chemotaxis Analysis Based on the Microfluidic System. SLAS Technol 2020; 26:159-164. [PMID: 33143544 DOI: 10.1177/2472630320969146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial motility in response to chemicals, also called bacterial chemotaxis, is a critical ability to search for the optimal environment to ensure the survival of bacterial species. Recent advances in microbiology have allowed the engineering of bacterial chemotactic properties. Conventional methods for characterizing bacterial motility are not able to fully monitor chemotactic behavior. Developments in microfluidic technology have enabled the designing of new experimental protocols in which spatiotemporal control of the cellular microenvironment can be achieved, and in which bacterial motility can be precisely and quantitatively measured and compared. This review provides an overview of recent developments of and new insights into microfluidic systems for chemotaxis assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heon-Ho Jeong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, Jeonnam, Republic of Korea
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63
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Lowen JM, Leach JK. Functionally graded biomaterials for use as model systems and replacement tissues. ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS 2020; 30:1909089. [PMID: 33456431 PMCID: PMC7810245 DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201909089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The heterogeneity of native tissues requires complex materials to provide suitable substitutes for model systems and replacement tissues. Functionally graded materials have the potential to address this challenge by mimicking the gradients in heterogeneous tissues such as porosity, mineralization, and fiber alignment to influence strength, ductility, and cell signaling. Advancements in microfluidics, electrospinning, and 3D printing enable the creation of increasingly complex gradient materials that further our understanding of physiological gradients. The combination of these methods enables rapid prototyping of constructs with high spatial resolution. However, successful translation of these gradients requires both spatial and temporal presentation of cues to model the complexity of native tissues that few materials have demonstrated. This review highlights recent strategies to engineer functionally graded materials for the modeling and repair of heterogeneous tissues, together with a description of how cells interact with various gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy M. Lowen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616
| | - J. Kent Leach
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, UC Davis Health, Sacramento, CA 95817
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64
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Park J, Destgeer G, Afzal M, Sung HJ. Acoustofluidic generation of droplets with tunable chemical concentrations. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:3922-3929. [PMID: 33026382 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00803f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The dynamic control of the chemical concentration within droplets is required in numerous droplet microfluidic applications. Here, we propose an acoustofluidic method for the generation of a library of aqueous droplets with the desired chemical concentrations in a continuous oil phase. Surface acoustic waves produced by a focused interdigital transducer interact with two parallel laminar streams with different chemical compositions. Coupling the acoustic waves with the flow streams results in the controlled acoustofluidic mixing of the aqueous solutions through the formation of acoustic streaming flow-induced microvortices. The mixed streams are split at a bifurcation, and one of the streams with a precisely controlled chemical concentration is fed into a T-junction to produce droplets with tunable chemical concentrations. The periodic acoustofluidic mixing of the aqueous streams enables the generation of a droplet library with a well-defined inter-droplet concentration gradient. The proposed method is a promising tool for the on-chip dynamic control of in-droplet chemical concentrations and for next-generation droplet microfluidic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsoo Park
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Korea. and School of Mechanical Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
| | - Ghulam Destgeer
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Korea.
| | - Muhammad Afzal
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Korea.
| | - Hyung Jin Sung
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Korea.
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65
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Tang Q, Li X, Lai C, Li L, Wu H, Wang Y, Shi X. Fabrication of a hydroxyapatite-PDMS microfluidic chip for bone-related cell culture and drug screening. Bioact Mater 2020; 6:169-178. [PMID: 32913926 PMCID: PMC7453124 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2020.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone is an important part of the human body structure and plays a vital role in human health. A microfluidic chip that can simulate the structure and function of bone will provide a platform for bone-related biomedical research. Hydroxyapatite (HA), a bioactive ceramic material, has a similar structure and composition to bone mineralization products. In this study, we used HA as a microfluidic chip component to provide a highly bionic bone environment. HA substrates with different microchannel structures were printed by using ceramic stereolithography (SLA) technology, and the minimum trench width was 50 μm. The HA substrate with microchannels was sealed by a thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer to make a HA-PDMS microfluidic chip. Cell culture experiments demonstrated that compared with PDMS, HA was more conducive to the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of the human foetal osteoblast cell line (hFOB). In addition, the concentration gradient of the model drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) was successfully generated on a Christmas tree structure HA-PDMS chip, and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of DOX was determined. The findings of this study indicate that the HA-PDMS microfluidic chip has great potential in the field of high-throughput bone-related drug screening and bone-related research. 3D printing of the hydroxyapatite (HA) substrate with microchannel networks. Fabrication of HA-PDMS microfluidic chips. (3) Provided a new microfluidic platform for studying bone and bone-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiangqiang Tang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China.,National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Xiaoyu Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China.,National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Chen Lai
- Peking University Shenzhen Institute, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Lei Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, PR China
| | - Hongkai Wu
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yingjun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Guangdong Province, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China.,Key Laboratory of Biomedical Materials and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Xuetao Shi
- Peking University Shenzhen Institute, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China.,School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, PR China.,National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China.,Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory, 510005, Guangzhou, PR China
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66
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Li C, Ouyang L, Armstrong JPK, Stevens MM. Advances in the Fabrication of Biomaterials for Gradient Tissue Engineering. Trends Biotechnol 2020; 39:150-164. [PMID: 32650955 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Natural tissues and organs exhibit an array of spatial gradients, from the polarized neural tube during embryonic development to the osteochondral interface present at articulating joints. The strong structure-function relationships in these heterogeneous tissues have sparked intensive research into the development of methods that can replicate physiological gradients in engineered tissues. In this Review, we consider different gradients present in natural tissues and discuss their critical importance in functional tissue engineering. Using this basis, we consolidate the existing fabrication methods into four categories: additive manufacturing, component redistribution, controlled phase changes, and postmodification. We have illustrated this with recent examples, highlighted prominent trends in the field, and outlined a set of criteria and perspectives for gradient fabrication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunching Li
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Liliang Ouyang
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - James P K Armstrong
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - Molly M Stevens
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
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67
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Rismanian M, Saidi MS, Kashaninejad N. A microfluidic concentration gradient generator for simultaneous delivery of two reagents on a millimeter-sized sample. J Flow Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s41981-020-00104-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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68
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Shimizu A, Goh WH, Itai S, Karyappa R, Hashimoto M, Onoe H. ECM-based microfluidic gradient generator for tunable surface environment by interstitial flow. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2020; 14:044106. [PMID: 32699566 PMCID: PMC7367689 DOI: 10.1063/5.0010941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
We present an extracellular matrix (ECM)-based gradient generator that provides a culture surface with continuous chemical concentration gradients created by interstitial flow. The gelatin-based microchannels harboring gradient generators and in-channel micromixers were rapidly fabricated by sacrificial molding of a 3D-printed water-soluble sacrificial mold. When fluorescent dye solutions were introduced into the channel, the micromixers enhanced mixing of two solutions joined at the junction. Moreover, the concentration gradients generated in the channel diffused to the culture surface of the device through the interstitial space facilitated by the porous nature of the ECM. To check the functionality of the gradient generator for investigating cellular responses to chemical factors, we demonstrated that human umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured on the surface shrunk in response to the concentration gradient of histamine generated by interstitial flow from the microchannel. We believe that our device could be useful for the basic biological study of the cellular response to chemical stimuli and for the in vitro platform in drug testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azusa Shimizu
- School of Integrated Design Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-Ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Wei Huang Goh
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore 487372
| | - Shun Itai
- School of Integrated Design Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-Ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Rahul Karyappa
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore 487372
| | | | - Hiroaki Onoe
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
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69
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Richard C, Neild A, Cadarso VJ. The emerging role of microfluidics in multi-material 3D bioprinting. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:2044-2056. [PMID: 32459222 DOI: 10.1039/c9lc01184f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
To assist the transition of 3D bioprinting technology from simple lab-based tissue fabrication, to fully functional and implantable organs, the technology must not only provide shape control, but also functional control. This can be accomplished by replicating the cellular composition of the native tissue at the microscale, such that cell types interact to provide the desired function. There is therefore a need for precise, controllable, multi-material printing that could allow for high, possibly even single cell, resolution. This paper aims to draw attention to technological advancements made in 3D bioprinting that target the lack of multi-material, and/or multi cell-type, printing capabilities of most current devices. Unlike other reviews in the field, which largely focus on variations in single-material 3D bioprinting involving the standard methods of extrusion-based, droplet-based, laser-based, or stereolithographic methods; this review concentrates on sophisticated multi-material 3D bioprinting using multi-cartridge printheads, co-axial nozzles and microfluidic-enhanced printing nozzles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Richard
- Laboratory for Micro Systems, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
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70
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Antibacterial efficiency assessment of polymer-nanoparticle composites using a high-throughput microfluidic platform. MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING. C, MATERIALS FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS 2020; 111:110754. [DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2020.110754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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71
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Perrodin P, Sella C, Thouin L. Electrochemical Generation of Steady-State Linear Concentration Gradients within Microfluidic Channels Perpendicular to the Flow Field. Anal Chem 2020; 92:7699-7707. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c00645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Perrodin
- PASTEUR, Département de Chimie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Catherine Sella
- PASTEUR, Département de Chimie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Laurent Thouin
- PASTEUR, Département de Chimie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 75005, Paris, France
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72
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Täuber S, von Lieres E, Grünberger A. Dynamic Environmental Control in Microfluidic Single-Cell Cultivations: From Concepts to Applications. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2020; 16:e1906670. [PMID: 32157796 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201906670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic single-cell cultivation (MSCC) is an emerging field within fundamental as well as applied biology. During the last years, most MSCCs were performed at constant environmental conditions. Recently, MSCC at oscillating and dynamic environmental conditions has started to gain significant interest in the research community for the investigation of cellular behavior. Herein, an overview of this topic is given and microfluidic concepts that enable oscillating and dynamic control of environmental conditions with a focus on medium conditions are discussed, and their application in single-cell research for the cultivation of both mammalian and microbial cell systems is demonstrated. Furthermore, perspectives for performing MSCC at complex dynamic environmental profiles of single parameters and multiparameters (e.g., pH and O2 ) in amplitude and time are discussed. The technical progress in this field provides completely new experimental approaches and lays the foundation for systematic analysis of cellular metabolism at fluctuating environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Täuber
- Multiscale Bioengineering, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Eric von Lieres
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Alexander Grünberger
- Multiscale Bioengineering, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
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73
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Yang H, Hong SH, ZhG R, Wang Y. Surrogate-based optimization with adaptive sampling for microfluidic concentration gradient generator design. RSC Adv 2020; 10:13799-13814. [PMID: 35493014 PMCID: PMC9051574 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra01586e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper presents a surrogate-based optimization (SBO) method with adaptive sampling for designing microfluidic concentration gradient generators (μCGGs) to meet prescribed concentration gradients (CGs). An efficient physics-based component model (PBCM) is used to generate data for Kriging-based surrogate model construction. In a comparative analysis, various combinations of regression and correlation models in Kriging, and different adaptive sampling (infill) techniques are inspected to enhance model accuracy and optimization efficiency. The results show that the first-order polynomial regression and the Gaussian correlation models together form the most accurate model, and the lower bound (LB) infill strategy in general allows the most efficient global optimum search. The CGs generated by optimum designs match very well with prescribed CGs, and the discrepancy is less than 12% even with an inherent limitation of the μCGG. It is also found that SBO with adaptive sampling enables much more efficient and accurate design than random sampling-based surrogate modeling and optimization, and is more robust than the gradient-based optimization for searching the global optimum. Surrogate-based optimization (SBO) with adaptive sampling method is established for microfluidic concentration gradient generators (μCGGs) design.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Haizhou Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina Columbia SC 29208 USA
| | - Seong Hyeon Hong
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina Columbia SC 29208 USA
| | - Rei ZhG
- Department of Traffic Information and Control Engineering, Tongji University Shanghai 200092 P. R. China
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina Columbia SC 29208 USA
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74
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Ly KL, Raub CB, Luo X. Tuning the porosity of biofabricated chitosan membranes in microfluidics with co-assembled nanoparticles as templates. MATERIALS ADVANCES 2020; 1:34-44. [PMID: 33073238 PMCID: PMC7518516 DOI: 10.1039/d0ma00073f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Biopolymer membranes assembled in microfluidic devices offer many biological process- and analysis-related applications. One of the key characteristics of bio-fabricated membranes is their porosity, which regulates the transport of molecules, ions, or particles and contributes to their semi-permeability and selectivity. This study aims to tune the porosity of biofabricated chitosan membranes (CM) using incorporated nanoparticles as templates. CM with polystyrene nanoparticles (CM-np) were assembled by flow in microchannel networks. The membranes with incorporated nanoparticles were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, and then the nanoparticles were dissolved with dimethyl sulfoxide. The in situ synthesized porous CM (pCM) were characterized with scanning electron microscopy and polarized light microscopy. Permeability tests confirmed the increased pore sizes of the pCM and enhanced permeability to macromolecules. Sharper static gradients in three-channel microfluidic devices were demonstrated with the pCM as compared to those with the original CM. The capability to customize the porosity of flow-assembled, freestanding and robust biopolymer membranes inside a microfluidic network is attractive and broadens the applications of these membranes in biomolecular and cellular studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khanh L Ly
- Department of Biomedical Engineering , Catholic University of America , Washington , DC 20064 , USA
| | - Christopher B Raub
- Department of Biomedical Engineering , Catholic University of America , Washington , DC 20064 , USA
| | - Xiaolong Luo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , Catholic University of America , Washington , DC 20064 , USA .
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75
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Zhang T, Meng J, Li S, Yu C, Li J, Wei C, Dai S. A Microfluidic Concentration Gradient Maker with Tunable Concentration Profiles by Changing Feed Flow Rate Ratios. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:E284. [PMID: 32164167 PMCID: PMC7142998 DOI: 10.3390/mi11030284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic chips-in which chemical or biological fluid samples are mixed into linear or nonlinear concentration distribution profiles-have generated enormous enthusiasm of their ability to develop patterns for drug release and their potential toxicology applications. These microfluidic devices have untapped potential for varying concentration patterns by the use of one single device or by easy-to-operate procedures. To address this challenge, we developed a soft-lithography-fabricated microfluidic platform that enabled one single device to be used as a concentration maker, which could generate linear, bell-type, or even S-type concentration profiles by tuning the feed flow rate ratios of each independent inlet. Here, we present an FFRR (feed flow rate ratio) adjustment approach to generate tens of types of concentration gradient profiles with one single device. To demonstrate the advantages of this approach, we used a Christmas-tree-like microfluidic chip as the demo. Its performance was analyzed using numerical simulation models and experimental investigations, and it showed an excellent time response (~10 s). With on-demand flow rate ratios, the FFRR microfluidic device could be used for many lab-on-a-chip applications where flexible concentration profiles are required for analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Robotic Sensing and Human-robot interactions, School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300132, China; (T.Z.); (J.M.); (C.Y.); (C.W.)
| | - Jiyu Meng
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Robotic Sensing and Human-robot interactions, School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300132, China; (T.Z.); (J.M.); (C.Y.); (C.W.)
| | - Shanshan Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Robotic Sensing and Human-robot interactions, School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300132, China; (T.Z.); (J.M.); (C.Y.); (C.W.)
- National Key Laboratory of Reliability and Electrical Equipment, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China
| | - Chengzhuang Yu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Robotic Sensing and Human-robot interactions, School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300132, China; (T.Z.); (J.M.); (C.Y.); (C.W.)
| | - Junwei Li
- Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Langfang 065000, China;
- Institute of Biophysics, School of Science, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
| | - Chunyang Wei
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Robotic Sensing and Human-robot interactions, School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300132, China; (T.Z.); (J.M.); (C.Y.); (C.W.)
| | - Shijie Dai
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Robotic Sensing and Human-robot interactions, School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300132, China; (T.Z.); (J.M.); (C.Y.); (C.W.)
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76
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Fang Z, Ding Y, Zhang Z, Wang F, Wang Z, Wang H, Pan T. Digital microfluidic meter-on-chip. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:722-733. [PMID: 31853525 DOI: 10.1039/c9lc00989b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The accurate monitoring and control of liquid flow at low flow rates have become increasingly important in contemporary biomedical research and industrial monitoring. Inspired by the drop-counting principle implemented in a clinical gravity drip, we propose a novel microfluidic flowmetry technology for polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based conventional microfluidic devices, known as a microfluidic digital meter-on-chip (DMC), to achieve on-chip and localized microflow measurements with ultrahigh precision and a wide tunable range. The DMC technology primarily relies on capillarity, unlike a gravity drip, to induce a characteristic interfacial droplet pinch-off process, from which digital microflowmetry devices can discretize continuous flow into countable transferred liquid units with consistent quantifiable volumes. Enabled by the passive discretization principle and optical transparency, the DMC device requires no external energy input or bulky control equipment, and a non-contact wireless optical detection scheme using a smartphone can be conveniently used as a readout module. Moreover, the DMC technology achieves an ultrahigh flow-to-frequency sensitivity (6.59 Hz (μL min-1)-1) and resolution (droplet transfer volume down to 2.5 nL, nearly two orders of magnitude smaller than in previously reported work, resulting in ultralow flow rates of 1 μL min-1). In addition, the flow rate measurement range covers up to 80 μL min-1 and down to at least 150 nL min-1 (over 100 times lower than reported similar digital flowmetry on the same time scale) using the current device configuration. Benefiting from its simple device architecture and adaptability, the versatile DMC technology can be seamlessly integrated with various microfluidic and nanofluidic devices for drug delivery and biochemical analysis, serving as a promising technology platform for next-generation highly demanding microflow measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zecong Fang
- Micro-Nano Innovations (MiNI) Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. tingrui@ ucdavis.edu
| | - Yi Ding
- Micro-Nano Innovations (MiNI) Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. tingrui@ ucdavis.edu and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Zhichao Zhang
- Micro-Nano Innovations (MiNI) Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. tingrui@ ucdavis.edu
| | - Fei Wang
- School of Microelectronics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zuankai Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Hao Wang
- Department of Energy and Resources Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Tingrui Pan
- Micro-Nano Innovations (MiNI) Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. tingrui@ ucdavis.edu and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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77
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Taladriz-Blanco P, Rothen-Rutishauser B, Petri-Fink A, Balog S. Versatile Macroscale Concentration Gradients of Nanoparticles in Soft Nanocomposites. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2020; 16:e1905192. [PMID: 31971354 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201905192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 12/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Nanocomposite materials benefit from the diverse physicochemical properties featured by nanoparticles, and the presence of nanoparticle concentration gradients can lend functions to macroscopic materials beyond the realm of classical nanocomposites. It is shown here that linearity and time-shift invariance obtained via the synergism of two independent physical phenomena-translational self-diffusion and shear-driven dispersion-may give access to an exceptionally high degree of flexibility in the design of scalable and programmable long-range concentration gradients of nanoparticles in solidifiable liquid matrices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Taladriz-Blanco
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | | | - Alke Petri-Fink
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Chemistry Department, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 9, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Sandor Balog
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
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78
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Hagiwara M, Koh I. Engineering approaches to control and design the in vitro environment towards the reconstruction of organs. Dev Growth Differ 2020; 62:158-166. [PMID: 31925787 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
In vitro experimental models pertaining to human cells are considered essential for most biological experiments, such as drug development and analysis of disease mechanisms, because of their genetic consistency and ease for detailed and long-term analysis. Recent development of organoid cultures, such as intestine, liver, and kidney cultures, greatly promotes the potential of in vitro experiments. However, conventional culture methods that use manual pipetting have limitations in regenerating complex biosystems. Our body autonomously organizes cells to form a specific tissue shape, and the self-organization process occurs in an extremely systematic manner. In order to emulate this sophisticated process in vitro; first, methodologies for cell culture and organization of in vitro systems need to be updated; second, understanding the self-organizing system is a crucial issue. In this review, recent advancements in engineering technologies to control the microenvironment during cell culture are introduced. Both static and dynamic control have been developed for decades in engineering fields, and the means by which such technologies can help to elucidate and design a biosystem is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaya Hagiwara
- Cluster for Pioneering Research, RIKEN, Saitama, Japan.,Graduate School of Science, Osaka Prefecture University, Sakai, Japan
| | - Isabel Koh
- Cluster for Pioneering Research, RIKEN, Saitama, Japan
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79
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Liu Y, Shangguan JW, Xu BY, Yu XD, Xu JJ, Chen HY. Abnormal Liquid Chasing Effect in Paper Capillary Enables Versatile Gradient Generation on Microfluidic Paper Analytical Devices. Anal Chem 2020; 92:2722-2730. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b04934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jin-Wen Shangguan
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Bi-Yi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Xiao-Dong Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jing-Juan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Hong-Yuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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80
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Boyce MW, Simke WC, Kenney RM, Lockett MR. Generating linear oxygen gradients across 3D cell cultures with block-layered oxygen controlled chips (BLOCCs). ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2020; 12:18-24. [PMID: 32190125 PMCID: PMC7079814 DOI: 10.1039/c9ay01690b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Oxygen is a transcriptional regulator responsible for tissue homeostasis and maintenance. Studies relating cellular phenotype with oxygen tension often use hypoxia chambers, which expose cells to a single, static oxygen tension. Despite their ease of use, these chambers are unable to replicate the oxygen gradients found in healthy and diseased tissues. Microfabricated devices capable of imposing an oxygen gradient across tissue-like structures are a promising tool for these studies, as they can provide a high density of information in a single experimental setup. We describe the fabrication and characterization of a modular device, which leverages the gas-permeability of silicone to impose gradients of oxygen across cell-containing regions, assembled by layering sheets of laser cut acrylic and silicone rubber. The silicone also acts as a barrier, separating the flowing gases from the cell culture medium, preventing evaporation or bubble formation in experiments that require prolonged periods of incubation. The acrylic components provide a rigid framework to provide a sterile culture environment. Using oxygen-sensing films, we show the device can support gradients of different ranges and steepness by simply changing the composition of the gases flowing through the silicone components of the BLOCC. Using a cell-based reporter assay, we demonstrate that cellular responses to hypoxia are proportional to oxygen tension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew W Boyce
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan and Caudill Laboratories, 125 South Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3290, USA
| | - William C Simke
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan and Caudill Laboratories, 125 South Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3290, USA
| | - Rachael M Kenney
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan and Caudill Laboratories, 125 South Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3290, USA
| | - Matthew R Lockett
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan and Caudill Laboratories, 125 South Road, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3290, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 450 West Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7295, USA
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81
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Mo SJ, Lee JH, Kye HG, Lee JM, Kim EJ, Geum D, Sun W, Chung BG. A microfluidic gradient device for drug screening with human iPSC-derived motoneurons. Analyst 2020; 145:3081-3089. [DOI: 10.1039/c9an02384d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
We developed a microfluidic gradient device to utilize as a drug screening system with human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived motoneurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Joon Mo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Sogang University
- Korea
| | - Ju-Hyun Lee
- Department of Anatomy
- Brain Korea 21 Program
- Korea University College of Medicine
- Seoul
- Korea
| | - Hyeon Gi Kye
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Sogang University
- Seoul
- Korea
| | - Jong Min Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Sogang University
- Seoul
- Korea
| | | | - Dongho Geum
- Department of Biomedical Sciences
- Korea University College of Medicine
- Seoul
- Korea
| | - Woong Sun
- Department of Anatomy
- Brain Korea 21 Program
- Korea University College of Medicine
- Seoul
- Korea
| | - Bong Geun Chung
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Sogang University
- Seoul
- Korea
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82
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Jo H, Yoon M, Gajendiran M, Kim K. Recent Strategies in Fabrication of Gradient Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications. Macromol Biosci 2019; 20:e1900300. [PMID: 31886614 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.201900300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Hydrogels are widely used as scaffold in tissue engineering field because of their ability to mimic the cellular microenvironment. However, mimicking a completely natural cellular environment is complicated due to the differences in various physical and chemical properties of cellular environments. Recently, gradient hydrogels provide excellent heterogeneous environment to mimic the different cellular microenvironments. To create hydrogels with an anisotropic distribution, gradient hydrogels have been widely developed by adopting several gradient generation techniques. Herein, the various gradient hydrogel fabrication techniques, including dual syringe pump systems, microfluidic device, photolithography, diffusion, and bio-printing are summarized. As the effects of gradient 3D hydrogels with stems have been reviewed elsewhere, this review focuses principally on gradient hydrogel fabrication for multi-model tissue regeneration. This review provides new insights into the key points for fabrication of gradient hydrogels for multi-model tissue regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heejung Jo
- Department of Bioengineering and Nano-Bioengineering, Incheon National University, Incheon, 22012, Republic of Korea
| | - Minhyuk Yoon
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Mani Gajendiran
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Dongguk University, Seoul, 06420, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyobum Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Dongguk University, Seoul, 06420, Republic of Korea
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83
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Droplet-based optofluidic systems for measuring enzyme kinetics. Anal Bioanal Chem 2019; 412:3265-3283. [PMID: 31853606 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-019-02294-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The study of enzyme kinetics is of high significance in understanding metabolic networks in living cells and using enzymes in industrial applications. To gain insight into the catalytic mechanisms of enzymes, it is necessary to screen an enormous number of reaction conditions, a process that is typically laborious, time-consuming, and costly when using conventional measurement techniques. In recent times, droplet-based microfluidic systems have proved themselves to be of great utility in large-scale biological experimentation, since they consume a minimal sample, operate at high analytical throughput, are characterized by efficient mass and heat transfer, and offer high levels of integration and automation. The primary goal of this review is the introduction of novel microfluidic tools and detection methods for use in high-throughput and sensitive analysis of enzyme kinetics. The first part of this review focuses on introducing basic concepts of enzyme kinetics and describing most common microfluidic approaches, with a particular focus on segmented flow. Herein, the key advantages include accurate control over the flow behavior, efficient mass and heat transfer, multiplexing, and high-level integration with detection modalities. The second part describes the current state-of-the-art platforms for high-throughput and sensitive analysis of enzyme kinetics. In addition to our categorization of recent advances in measuring enzyme kinetics, we have endeavored to critically assess the limitations of each of these detection approaches and propose strategies to improve measurements in droplet-based microfluidics. Graphical abstract.
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84
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Abadie T, Sella C, Perrodin P, Thouin L. Electrochemical Generation and Detection of Transient Concentration Gradients in Microfluidic Channels. Theoretical and Experimental Investigations. Front Chem 2019; 7:704. [PMID: 31709233 PMCID: PMC6822297 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Transient concentration gradients generated and detected electrochemically in continuous flow microchannels were investigated by numerical simulations and amperometric measurements. Operating conditions including device geometry and hydrodynamic regime were theoretically delineated for producing gradients of various profiles with tunable characteristics. Experiments were carried out with microfluidic devices incorporating a dual-channel-electrode configuration. Under these conditions, high electrochemical performance was achieved both to generate concentration gradients and to monitor their dynamics along linear microchannels. Good agreement was observed between simulated and experimental data validating predictions between gradient properties and generation conditions. These results demonstrated the capability of electrochemical microdevices to produce in situ tunable concentration gradients with real-time monitoring. This approach is versatile for the active control in microfluidics of microenvironments or chemical gradients with high spatiotemporal resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Laurent Thouin
- PASTEUR, Département de chimie, École normale supérieure, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris, France
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85
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Lai X, Lu B, Zhang P, Zhang X, Pu Z, Yu H, Li D. Sticker Microfluidics: A Method for Fabrication of Customized Monolithic Microfluidics. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2019; 5:6801-6810. [PMID: 33423473 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b00953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This paper proposes a novel strategy and an all-in-one toolbox that allows instrument-free customization of integrated microfluidic systems. Unlike the modular design of combining multiple microfluidic chips in the previous literature, this work, for the first time, proposes a "template sticker" method, in which sacrificial templates for microfluidic components are batch-produced in the form of standardized stickers and packaged into a toolbox. To create a customized monolithic microfluidic system, the end users only need to select and combine various template stickers following formulated steps. The fabricated microfluidic devices have well-defined microscale features, while the fabrication process is inexpensive and time-saving. Various functional microfluidic devices were fabricated and tested using this toolbox. The capability to create microchannels on curved surfaces is also demonstrated. As a proof of concept, we developed with the proposed toolbox a colorimetric testing platform for the detection of nitrite ions. The sticker toolbox, as the first self-contained portable platform for microfluidic fabrication, allows prompt customization of monolithic devices, enabling deployment of microfluidics with both ideal performance and customizability.
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86
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Yang Y, Liu S, Geng J. Microfluidic-Based Platform for the Evaluation of Nanomaterial-Mediated Drug Delivery: From High-Throughput Screening to Dynamic Monitoring. Curr Pharm Des 2019; 25:2953-2968. [PMID: 31362686 DOI: 10.2174/1381612825666190730100051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Nanomaterial-based drug delivery holds tremendous promise for improving targeting capacity, biodistribution, and performance of therapeutic/diagnostic agents. Accelerating the clinical translation of current nanomedicine requires an in-depth understanding of the mechanism underlying the dynamic interaction between nanomaterials and cells in a physiological/pathophysiological-relevant condition. The introduction of the advanced microfluidic platform with miniaturized, well-controlled, and high-throughput features opens new investigation and application opportunities for nanomedicine evaluation. This review highlights the current state-of-theart in the field of 1) microfluidic-assisted in vitro assays that are capable of providing physiological-relevant flow conditions and performing high-throughput drug screening, 2) advanced organ-on-a-chip technology with the combination of microfabrication and tissue engineering techniques for mimicking microenvironment and better predicting in vivo response of nanomedicine, and 3) the integration of microdevice with various detection techniques that can monitor cell-nanoparticle interaction with high spatiotemporal resolution. Future perspectives regarding optimized on-chip disease modeling and personalized nanomedicine screening are discussed towards further expanding the utilization of the microfluidic-based platform in assessing the biological behavior of nanomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamin Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
| | - Sijia Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
| | - Jinfa Geng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
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87
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Li Y, Xuan J, Hu R, Zhang P, Lou X, Yang Y. Microfluidic triple-gradient generator for efficient screening of chemical space. Talanta 2019; 204:569-575. [PMID: 31357335 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2019.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Generation of a combinatorial gradient for multiple chemicals is essential for studies of biochemical stimuli, chemoattraction, protein crystallization and others. While currently available platforms require complex design/settings to obtain a double-gradient chemical matrix, we herein report for the first time a simple triple-gradient matrix (TGM) device for efficient screening of chemical space. The TGM device is composed of two glass slides and works following the concept of SlipChip. The device utilizes XYZ space to distribute three chemicals and establishes a chemical gradient matrix within 5 min. The established matrix contains 24 or 104 screening conditions depending on the device used, which covers a concentration range of [0.117-1, 0.117-1 and 0.686-1] and [0.0830-1, 0.0830-1, 0.686-1] respectively for the three chemicals. With the triple gradients built simultaneously, this TGM device provides order-of-magnitude improvement in screening efficiency over existing single- or double-gradient generators. As a proof of concept, we applied the device to screen the crystallization conditions for two model proteins of lysozyme and trypsin and confirmed the crystal structures using X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, we successfully obtained the crystallization condition of adhesin competence repressor, a protein that senses the alterations in intracellular zinc concentrations. We expect the TGM system to be widely used as an analytical platform for material synthesis and chemical screening beyond for protein crystallization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic Molecular Physics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, China.
| | - Jie Xuan
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Rui Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic Molecular Physics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, China
| | - Pengchao Zhang
- Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Xiaohua Lou
- Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yunhuang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic Molecular Physics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, China.
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88
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Soares MCP, Vit FF, Suzuki CK, de la Torre LG, Fujiwara E. Perfusion Microfermentor Integrated into a Fiber Optic Quasi-Elastic Light Scattering Sensor for Fast Screening of Microbial Growth Parameters. SENSORS 2019; 19:s19112493. [PMID: 31159228 PMCID: PMC6603560 DOI: 10.3390/s19112493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 05/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This research presents a microfermentor integrated into an optical fiber sensor based on quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS) to monitor and swiftly identify cellular growth kinetic parameters. The system uses a 1310 nm laser light that is guided through single-mode silica optical fibers to the interior of perfusion chambers, which are separated by polycarbonate membranes (470 nm pores) from microchannels, where a culture medium flows in a constant concentration. The system contains four layers, a superior and an inferior layer made of glass, and two intermediate poly(dimethylsiloxane) layers that contain the microchannels and the perfusion chambers, forming a reversible microfluidic device that requires only the sealing of the fibers to the inferior glass cover. The QELS autocorrelation decay rates of the optical signals were correlated to the cells counting in a microscope, and the application of this microsystem to the monitoring of alcoholic fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae resulted in the kinetic parameters of KM = 4.1 g/L and μm = 0.49 h−1. These results agree with both the data reported in the literature and with the control batch test, showing that it is a reliable and efficient biological monitoring system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco César Prado Soares
- Laboratory of Photonic Materials and Devices, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Campinas, São Paulo 13083-860, Brazil.
| | - Franciele Flores Vit
- Laboratory of Advanced Development of Nano and Biotechnology, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas, São Paulo 13083-852, Brazil.
| | - Carlos Kenichi Suzuki
- Laboratory of Photonic Materials and Devices, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Campinas, São Paulo 13083-860, Brazil.
| | - Lucimara Gaziola de la Torre
- Laboratory of Advanced Development of Nano and Biotechnology, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas, São Paulo 13083-852, Brazil.
| | - Eric Fujiwara
- Laboratory of Photonic Materials and Devices, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Campinas, São Paulo 13083-860, Brazil.
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89
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Wang X, Liu Z, Pang Y. Breakup dynamics of droplets in an asymmetric bifurcation by μPIV and theoretical investigations. Chem Eng Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2018.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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90
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Sedláková V, Kloučková M, Garlíková Z, Vašíčková K, Jaroš J, Kandra M, Kotasová H, Hampl A. Options for modeling the respiratory system: inserts, scaffolds and microfluidic chips. Drug Discov Today 2019; 24:971-982. [PMID: 30877077 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2019.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The human respiratory system is continuously exposed to varying levels of hazardous substances ranging from environmental toxins to purposely administered drugs. If the noxious effects exceed the inherent regenerative capacity of the respiratory system, injured tissue undergoes complex remodeling that can significantly affect lung function and lead to various diseases. Advanced near-to-native in vitro lung models are required to understand the mechanisms involved in pulmonary damage and repair and to reliably test the toxicity of compounds to lung tissue. This review is an overview of the development of in vitro respiratory system models used for study of lung diseases. It includes discussion of using these models for environmental toxin assessment and pulmonary toxicity screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Sedláková
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic; Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering Laboratory, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, 40 Ruskin Street, Ottawa K1Y 4W7, Canada.
| | - Michaela Kloučková
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Garlíková
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic; International Clinical Research Center, St Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekařská 664/53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Vašíčková
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic; International Clinical Research Center, St Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekařská 664/53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Jaroš
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic; International Clinical Research Center, St Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekařská 664/53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Mário Kandra
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic; International Clinical Research Center, St Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekařská 664/53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Kotasová
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Aleš Hampl
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic; International Clinical Research Center, St Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekařská 664/53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
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91
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Park J, Roh H, Park JK. Finger-Actuated Microfluidic Concentration Gradient Generator Compatible with a Microplate. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:mi10030174. [PMID: 30832320 PMCID: PMC6471275 DOI: 10.3390/mi10030174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The generation of concentration gradients is an essential part of a wide range of laboratory settings. However, the task usually requires tedious and repetitive steps and it is difficult to generate concentration gradients at once. Here, we present a microfluidic device that easily generates a concentration gradient by means of push-button actuated pumping units. The device is designed to generate six concentrations with a linear gradient between two different sample solutions. The microfluidic concentration gradient generator we report here does not require external pumps because changes in the pressure of the fluidic channel induced by finger actuation generate a constant volume of fluid, and the design of the generator is compatible with the commonly used 96-well microplate. Generation of a concentration gradient by the finger-actuated microfluidic device was consistent with that of the manual pipetting method. In addition, the amount of fluid dispensed from each outlet was constant when the button was pressed, and the volume of fluid increased linearly with respect to the number of pushing times. Coefficient of variation (CV) was between 0.796% and 13.539%, and the error was between 0.111% and 19.147%. The design of the microfluidic network, as well as the amount of fluid dispensed from each outlet at a single finger actuation, can be adjusted to the user’s demand. To prove the applicability of the concentration gradient generator, an enzyme assay was performed using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and para-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP). We generated a linear concentration gradient of the pNPP substrate, and the enzyme kinetics of ALP was studied by examining the initial reaction rate between ALP and pNPP. Then, a Hanes–Woolf plot of the various concentration of ALP was drawn and the Vmax and Km value were calculated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juhwan Park
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Korea.
| | - Hyewon Roh
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Korea.
| | - Je-Kyun Park
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Korea.
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92
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A new non-dimensional parameter to obtain the minimum mixing length in tree-like concentration gradient generators. Chem Eng Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2018.11.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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93
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Avendano A, Cortes-Medina M, Song JW. Application of 3-D Microfluidic Models for Studying Mass Transport Properties of the Tumor Interstitial Matrix. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2019; 7:6. [PMID: 30761297 PMCID: PMC6364047 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The physical remodeling associated with cancer progression results in barriers to mass transport in the tumor interstitial space. This hindrance ultimately affects the distribution of macromolecules that govern cell fate and potency of cancer therapies. Therefore, knowing how specific extracellular matrix (ECM) and cellular components regulate transport in the tumor interstitium could lead to matrix normalizing strategies that improve patient outcome. Studies over the past decades have provided quantitative insights into interstitial transport in tumors by characterizing two governing parameters: (1) molecular diffusivity and (2) hydraulic conductivity. However, many of the conventional techniques used to measure these parameters are limited due to their inability to experimentally manipulate the physical and cellular environments of tumors. Here, we examine the application and future opportunities of microfluidic systems for identifying the physiochemical mediators of mass transport in the tumor ECM. Further advancement and adoption of microfluidic systems to quantify tumor transport parameters has potential to bridge basic science with translational research for advancing personalized medicine in oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Avendano
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Marcos Cortes-Medina
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Jonathan W Song
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.,The Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
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94
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Wang X, Liu Z, Pang Y. Collision characteristics of droplet pairs with the presence of arriving distance differences. J IND ENG CHEM 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jiec.2018.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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95
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A Microfluidic Spheroid Culture Device with a Concentration Gradient Generator for High-Throughput Screening of Drug Efficacy. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23123355. [PMID: 30567363 PMCID: PMC6321514 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23123355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture is considered more clinically relevant in mimicking the structural and physiological conditions of tumors in vivo compared to two-dimensional cell cultures. In recent years, high-throughput screening (HTS) in 3D cell arrays has been extensively used for drug discovery because of its usability and applicability. Herein, we developed a microfluidic spheroid culture device (μFSCD) with a concentration gradient generator (CGG) that enabled cells to form spheroids and grow in the presence of cancer drug gradients. The device is composed of concave microwells with several serpentine micro-channels which generate a concentration gradient. Once the colon cancer cells (HCT116) formed a single spheroid (approximately 120 μm in diameter) in each microwell, spheroids were perfused in the presence of the cancer drug gradient irinotecan for three days. The number of spheroids, roundness, and cell viability, were inversely proportional to the drug concentration. These results suggest that the μFSCD with a CGG has the potential to become an HTS platform for screening the efficacy of cancer drugs.
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96
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Wang X, Liu Z, Pang Y. Droplet breakup in an asymmetric bifurcation with two angled branches. Chem Eng Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2018.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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97
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Towards Three-Dimensional Dynamic Regulation and In Situ Characterization of Single Stem Cell Phenotype Using Microfluidics. Mol Biotechnol 2018; 60:843-861. [DOI: 10.1007/s12033-018-0113-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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98
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Design keys for paper-based concentration gradient generators. J Chromatogr A 2018; 1561:83-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2018.05.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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99
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Qasaimeh MA, Pyzik M, Astolfi M, Vidal SM, Juncker D. Neutrophil Chemotaxis in Moving Gradients. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/adbi.201700243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad A. Qasaimeh
- Biomedical Engineering Department; McGill University; Montréal QC H3A 0G1 Canada
- Division of Engineering; New York University Abu Dhabi; Abu Dhabi 129188 UAE
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; New York University; NY 11201 USA
| | - Michal Pyzik
- Department of Human Genetics; McGill University; Montréal QC H3G 0B1 Canada
- Division of Gastroenterology; Department of Medicine; Brigham &Women's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston MA 02115 USA
| | - Mélina Astolfi
- Biomedical Engineering Department; McGill University; Montréal QC H3A 0G1 Canada
| | - Silvia M. Vidal
- Department of Human Genetics; McGill University; Montréal QC H3G 0B1 Canada
| | - David Juncker
- Biomedical Engineering Department; McGill University; Montréal QC H3A 0G1 Canada
- Genome Quebec Innovation Centre; McGill University; Montréal QC H3A 0G1 Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery; McGill University; Montréal QC H3A 1A4 Canada
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Tang M, Huang X, Chu Q, Ning X, Wang Y, Kong SK, Zhang X, Wang G, Ho HP. A linear concentration gradient generator based on multi-layered centrifugal microfluidics and its application in antimicrobial susceptibility testing. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:1452-1460. [PMID: 29664087 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00042e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In almost any branch of chemistry or life sciences, it is often necessary to study the interaction between different components in a system by varying their respective concentrations in a systematic manner. Currently, many procedures for generating a series of samples of different solute concentration levels are still done manually by dilution. To address this issue, we present herein a highly automated linear concentration gradient generator based on centrifugal microfluidics. The operation of this device is based on the use of multi-layered microfluidics in which individual fluidic samples to be mixed together are stored and metered in their respective layers before finally being transferred to a mixing chamber. To demonstrate the operation of this scheme, we have used the device to conduct antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Firstly, DI water, ampicillin solution and E. coli suspension were loaded into the chambers in different layers. As the device went through several rounds of spinning at different speeds, a series of metered dosages of ampicillin along a linear concentration gradient were introduced to the mixing chamber and mixed with E. coli automatically. By monitoring the spectral absorbance of the suspensions, we were able to establish the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of ampicillin against E. coli. The process took about 3 hours to complete, and the experimental results showed a strong correlation with those obtained with the standard CLSI broth dilution method. Clearly, the platform is useful for a wide range of applications such as drug discovery and personalised medicine, where concentration gradients are of concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Tang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
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