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Rodríguez CF, Báez-Suárez M, Muñoz-Camargo C, Reyes LH, Osma JF, Cruz JC. Zweifach-Fung Microfluidic Device for Efficient Microparticle Separation: Cost-Effective Fabrication Using CO 2 Laser-Ablated PMMA. MICROMACHINES 2024; 15:932. [PMID: 39064443 PMCID: PMC11278838 DOI: 10.3390/mi15070932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Microfluidic separators play a pivotal role in the biomedical and chemical industries by enabling precise fluid manipulations. Traditional fabrication of these devices typically requires costly cleanroom facilities, which limits their broader application. This study introduces a novel microfluidic device that leverages the passive Zweifach-Fung principle to overcome these financial barriers. Through Lagrangian computational simulations, we optimized an eleven-channel Zweifach-Fung configuration that achieved a perfect 100% recall rate for particles following a specified normal distribution. Experimental evaluations determined 2 mL/h as the optimal total flow rate (TFR), under which the device showcased exceptional performance enhancements in precision and recall for micrometer-sized particles, achieving an overall accuracy of 94% ± 3%. Fabricated using a cost-effective, non-cleanroom method, this approach represents a significant shift from conventional practices, dramatically reducing production costs while maintaining high operational efficacy. The cost of each chip is less than USD 0.90 cents and the manufacturing process takes only 15 min. The development of this device not only makes microfluidic technology more accessible but also sets a new standard for future advancements in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian F. Rodríguez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19a-40, Bogotá 111711, Colombia; (C.F.R.); (M.B.-S.); (C.M.-C.); (J.F.O.)
- Neuroscience Group of Antioquia, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Area, School of Medicine, SIU, University of Antioquia, Cl. 62 No. 52-59, Medellin 050010, Colombia
| | - Mateo Báez-Suárez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19a-40, Bogotá 111711, Colombia; (C.F.R.); (M.B.-S.); (C.M.-C.); (J.F.O.)
| | - Carolina Muñoz-Camargo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19a-40, Bogotá 111711, Colombia; (C.F.R.); (M.B.-S.); (C.M.-C.); (J.F.O.)
| | - Luis H. Reyes
- Grupo de Diseño de Productos y Procesos (GDPP), Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19a-40, Bogotá 111711, Colombia;
| | - Johann F. Osma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19a-40, Bogotá 111711, Colombia; (C.F.R.); (M.B.-S.); (C.M.-C.); (J.F.O.)
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19a-40, Bogotá 111711, Colombia
| | - Juan C. Cruz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19a-40, Bogotá 111711, Colombia; (C.F.R.); (M.B.-S.); (C.M.-C.); (J.F.O.)
- Grupo de Diseño de Productos y Procesos (GDPP), Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1E No. 19a-40, Bogotá 111711, Colombia;
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Yoon S, Kilicarslan You D, Jeong U, Lee M, Kim E, Jeon TJ, Kim SM. Microfluidics in High-Throughput Drug Screening: Organ-on-a-Chip and C. elegans-Based Innovations. BIOSENSORS 2024; 14:55. [PMID: 38275308 PMCID: PMC10813408 DOI: 10.3390/bios14010055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The development of therapeutic interventions for diseases necessitates a crucial step known as drug screening, wherein potential substances with medicinal properties are rigorously evaluated. This process has undergone a transformative evolution, driven by the imperative need for more efficient, rapid, and high-throughput screening platforms. Among these, microfluidic systems have emerged as the epitome of efficiency, enabling the screening of drug candidates with unprecedented speed and minimal sample consumption. This review paper explores the cutting-edge landscape of microfluidic-based drug screening platforms, with a specific emphasis on two pioneering approaches: organ-on-a-chip and C. elegans-based chips. Organ-on-a-chip technology harnesses human-derived cells to recreate the physiological functions of human organs, offering an invaluable tool for assessing drug efficacy and toxicity. In parallel, C. elegans-based chips, boasting up to 60% genetic homology with humans and a remarkable affinity for microfluidic systems, have proven to be robust models for drug screening. Our comprehensive review endeavors to provide readers with a profound understanding of the fundamental principles, advantages, and challenges associated with these innovative drug screening platforms. We delve into the latest breakthroughs and practical applications in this burgeoning field, illuminating the pivotal role these platforms play in expediting drug discovery and development. Furthermore, we engage in a forward-looking discussion to delineate the future directions and untapped potential inherent in these transformative technologies. Through this review, we aim to contribute to the collective knowledge base in the realm of drug screening, providing valuable insights to researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders alike. We invite readers to embark on a journey into the realm of microfluidic-based drug screening platforms, fostering a deeper appreciation for their significance and promising avenues yet to be explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunhee Yoon
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea; (S.Y.); (D.K.Y.); (M.L.); (E.K.)
| | - Dilara Kilicarslan You
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea; (S.Y.); (D.K.Y.); (M.L.); (E.K.)
| | - Uiechan Jeong
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
| | - Mina Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea; (S.Y.); (D.K.Y.); (M.L.); (E.K.)
| | - Eunhye Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea; (S.Y.); (D.K.Y.); (M.L.); (E.K.)
| | - Tae-Joon Jeon
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea; (S.Y.); (D.K.Y.); (M.L.); (E.K.)
- Department of Biological Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
- Biohybrid Systems Research Center (BSRC), Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Min Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea; (S.Y.); (D.K.Y.); (M.L.); (E.K.)
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
- Biohybrid Systems Research Center (BSRC), Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
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Todd D, Krasnogor N. Homebrew Photolithography for the Rapid and Low-Cost, "Do It Yourself" Prototyping of Microfluidic Devices. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:35393-35409. [PMID: 37780017 PMCID: PMC10535262 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c05544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Photolithography is the foundational process at the root of micro-electromechanical (MEMS) and microfluidic systems manufacture. The process is descendant from the semiconductor industry, originating from printed circuit board and microprocessor fabrication, itself historically performed in a cleanroom environment utilizing expensive, specialist microfabrication equipment. Consequently, these conditions prove cost-prohibitive and pose a large barrier to entry. We present a novel homebrew, "do-it-yourself" method for performing photolithography to produce master mold wafers using only household appliances and homemade equipment at the bench side, outside of a cleanroom, producing a range of designs including spiral, serpentine, rectangular, and circulatory. Our homebrew processes result in the production of microfluidic channels with feature resolution of ∼85 μm width and 50 μm height utilizing inkjet-printed photomasks on transparency film to expose dry-film photoresist. From start to finish, the entire process takes under <90 min and costs <£300. With SU8 epoxy negative photoresist and a chrome photomask, our low-cost UV exposure apparatus and homemade spincoater could be used to produce PDMS devices containing large arrays of identical microwells measuring 4.4 μm in diameter. We show that our homebrew method produces both rectangular and spiral microfluidic channels with better results than can be achieved by SLA 3D printing by comparison, and amenable to bonding into multilayer functional microfluidic devices. As these methods are fundamental to microfluidics manufacture, we envision that this work will be of value to researchers across a broad range of disciplines, such as those working in resource-constrained countries or conditions, with many and widely varying applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Todd
- Interdisciplinary Computing
and Complex BioSystems, ICOS, Newcastle
University, Newcastle
upon Tyne NE4 5TG, U.K.
| | - Natalio Krasnogor
- Interdisciplinary Computing
and Complex BioSystems, ICOS, Newcastle
University, Newcastle
upon Tyne NE4 5TG, U.K.
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Kongkaew S, Meng L, Limbut W, Liu G, Kanatharana P, Thavarungkul P, Mak WC. Craft-and-Stick Xurographic Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidic Electrochemical Sensing Platform. BIOSENSORS 2023; 13:bios13040446. [PMID: 37185521 PMCID: PMC10136003 DOI: 10.3390/bios13040446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
An innovative modular approach for facile design and construction of flexible microfluidic biosensor platforms based on a dry manufacturing "craft-and-stick" approach is developed. The design and fabrication of the flexible graphene paper electrode (GPE) unit and polyethylene tetraphthalate sheet (PET)6/adhesive fluidic unit are completed by an economic and generic xurographic craft approach. The GPE widths and the microfluidic channels can be constructed down to 300 μm and 200 μm, respectively. Both units were assembled by simple double-sided adhesive tapes into a microfluidic integrated GPE (MF-iGPE) that are flexible, thin (<0.5 mm), and lightweight (0.4 g). We further functionalized the iGPE with Prussian blue and glucose oxidase for the fabrication of MF-iGPE glucose biosensors. With a closed-channel PET fluidic pattern, the MF-iGPE glucose biosensors were packaged and sealed to protect the integrated device from moisture for storage and could easily open with scissors for sample loading. Our glucose biosensors showed 2 linear dynamic regions of 0.05-1.0 and 1.0-5.5 mmol L-1 glucose. The MF-iGPE showed good reproducibility for glucose detection (RSD < 6.1%, n = 6) and required only 10 μL of the analyte. This modular craft-and-stick manufacturing approach could potentially further develop along the concept of paper-crafted model assembly kits suitable for low-resource laboratories or classroom settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supatinee Kongkaew
- Biosensors and Bioelectronics Centre, Division of Sensor and Actuator Systems, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Center of Excellence for Trace Analysis and Biosensor, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
- Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
- Division of Health and Applied Sciences, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Lingyin Meng
- Biosensors and Bioelectronics Centre, Division of Sensor and Actuator Systems, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Warakorn Limbut
- Center of Excellence for Trace Analysis and Biosensor, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
- Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
- Division of Health and Applied Sciences, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Guozhen Liu
- School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China
| | - Proespichaya Kanatharana
- Center of Excellence for Trace Analysis and Biosensor, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
- Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
- Division of Physical Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Panote Thavarungkul
- Center of Excellence for Trace Analysis and Biosensor, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
- Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
- Division of Physical Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Wing Cheung Mak
- Biosensors and Bioelectronics Centre, Division of Sensor and Actuator Systems, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Thaweeskulchai T, Schulte A. Diode Laser and Polyimide Tape Enables Cheap and Fast Fabrication of Flexible Microfluidic Sensing Devices. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13122214. [PMID: 36557513 PMCID: PMC9785473 DOI: 10.3390/mi13122214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Wearable devices are a new class of healthcare monitoring devices designed for use in close contact with the patient's body. Such devices must be flexible to follow the contours of human anatomy. With numerous potential applications, a wide variety of flexible wearable devices have been created, taking various forms and functions. Therefore, different fabrication techniques and materials are employed, resulting in fragmentation of the list of equipment and materials needed to make different devices. This study attempted to simplify and streamline the fabrication process of all key components, including microfluidic chip and flexible electrode units. A combination of diode laser CNC machine and polyimide tape is used to fabricate flexible microfluidic chip and laser-induced graphene (LIG) electrodes, to create flexible microfluidic sensing devices. Laser ablation on polyimide tape can directly create microfluidic features on either PDMS substrates or LIG electrodes. The two components can be assembled to form a flexible microfluidic sensing device that can perform basic electrochemical analysis and conform to curved surfaces while undergoing microfluidic flow. This study has shown that simple, commonly available equipment and materials can be used to fabricate flexible microfluidic sensing devices quickly and easily, which is highly suitable for rapid prototyping of wearable devices.
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A Low-Cost 3-in-1 3D Printer as a Tool for the Fabrication of Flow-Through Channels of Microfluidic Systems. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:mi12080947. [PMID: 34442569 PMCID: PMC8398763 DOI: 10.3390/mi12080947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Recently published studies have shown that microfluidic devices fabricated by in-house three-dimensional (3D) printing, computer numerical control (CNC) milling and laser engraving have a good quality of performance. The 3-in-1 3D printers, desktop machines that integrate the three primary functions in a single user-friendly set-up are now available for computer-controlled adaptable surface processing, for less than USD 1000. Here, we demonstrate that 3-in-1 3D printer-based micromachining is an effective strategy for creating microfluidic devices and an easier and more economical alternative to, for instance, conventional photolithography. Our aim was to produce plastic microfluidic chips with engraved microchannel structures or micro-structured plastic molds for casting polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chips with microchannel imprints. The reproducability and accuracy of fabrication of microfluidic chips with straight, crossed line and Y-shaped microchannel designs were assessed and their microfluidic performance checked by liquid stream tests. All three fabrication methods of the 3-in-1 3D printer produced functional microchannel devices with adequate solution flow. Accordingly, 3-in-1 3D printers are recommended as cheap, accessible and user-friendly tools that can be operated with minimal training and little starting knowledge to successfully fabricate basic microfluidic devices that are suitable for educational work or rapid prototyping.
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