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Jahangiri AR, Ziarati N, Dadkhah E, Bucak MN, Rahimizadeh P, Shahverdi A, Sadighi Gilani MA, Topraggaleh TR. Microfluidics: The future of sperm selection in assisted reproduction. Andrology 2024; 12:1236-1252. [PMID: 38148634 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obtaining functional sperm cells is the first step to treat infertility. With the ever-increasing trend in male infertility, clinicians require access to effective solutions that are able to single out the most viable spermatozoa, which would max out the chance for a successful pregnancy. The new generation techniques for sperm selection involve microfluidics, which offers laminar flow and low Reynolds number within the platforms can provide unprecedented opportunities for sperm selection. Previous studies showed that microfluidic platforms can provide a novel approach to this challenge and since then researchers across the globe have attacked this problem from multiple angles. OBJECTIVE In this review, we seek to provide a much-needed bridge between the technical and medical aspects of microfluidic sperm selection. Here, we provide an up-to-date list on microfluidic sperm selection procedures and its application in assisted reproductive technology laboratories. SEARCH METHOD A literature search was performed in Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus to select papers reporting microfluidic sperm selection using the keywords: microfluidic sperm selection, self-motility, non-motile sperm selection, boundary following, rheotaxis, chemotaxis, and thermotaxis. Papers published before March 31, 2023 were selected. OUTCOMES Our results show that most studies have used motility-based properties for sperm selection. However, microfluidic platforms are ripe for making use of other properties such as chemotaxis and especially rheotaxis. We have identified that low throughput is one of the major hurdles to current microfluidic sperm selection chips, which can be solved via parallelization. CONCLUSION Future work needs to be performed on numerical simulation of the microfluidics chip prior to fabrication as well as relevant clinical assessment after the selection procedure. This would require a close collaboration and understanding among engineers, biologists, and medical professionals. It is interesting that in spite of two decades of microfluidics sperm selection, numerical simulation and clinical studies are lagging behind. It is expected that microfluidic sperm selection platforms will play a major role in the development of fully integrated start-to-finish assisted reproductive technology systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Reza Jahangiri
- NanoLund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Materials Science and Applied Mathematics, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Niloofar Ziarati
- Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Dadkhah
- Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mustafa Numan Bucak
- Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey
| | - Pegah Rahimizadeh
- Division of Experimental Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Cancer Research Program, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Abdolhossein Shahverdi
- Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Sadighi Gilani
- Department of Andrology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tohid Rezaei Topraggaleh
- Reproductive Health Research Center, Clinical Research Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
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Wu T, Wu Y, Yan J, Zhang J, Wang S. Microfluidic chip as a promising evaluation method in assisted reproduction: A systematic review. Bioeng Transl Med 2024; 9:e10625. [PMID: 38435817 PMCID: PMC10905557 DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The aim of assisted reproductive technology (ART) is to select the high-quality sperm, oocytes, and embryos, and finally achieve a successful pregnancy. However, functional evaluation is hindered by intra- and inter-operator variability. Microfluidic chips emerge as the one of the most powerful tools to analyze biological samples for reduced size, precise control, and flexible extension. Herein, a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Xplore databases until March 2023. We displayed and prospected all detection strategies based on microfluidics in the ART field. After full-text screening, 71 studies were identified as eligible for inclusion. The percentages of human and mouse studies equaled with 31.5%. The prominent country in terms of publication number was the USA (n = 13). Polydimethylsiloxane (n = 49) and soft lithography (n = 28) were the most commonly used material and fabrication method, respectively. All articles were classified into three types: sperm (n = 38), oocytes (n = 20), and embryos (n = 13). The assessment contents included motility, counting, mechanics, permeability, impedance, secretion, oxygen consumption, and metabolism. Collectively, the microfluidic chip technology facilitates more efficient, accurate, and objective evaluation in ART. It can even be combined with artificial intelligence to assist the daily activities of embryologists. More well-designed clinical studies and affordable integrated microfluidic chips are needed to validate the safety, efficacy, and reproducibility. Trial registration: The protocol was registered in the Open Science Frame REGISTRIES (identification: osf.io/6rv4a).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Wu
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological DiseasesTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of EducationTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Yangyang Wu
- College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityYa'anSichuanChina
| | - Jinfeng Yan
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological DiseasesTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of EducationTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- School of Materials Science and EngineeringHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Jinjin Zhang
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological DiseasesTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of EducationTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Shixuan Wang
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological DiseasesTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of EducationTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyTongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
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Ren W, Zaman MA, Wu M, Jensen MA, Davis RW, Hesselink L. Microparticle electrical conductivity measurement using optoelectronic tweezers. JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS 2023; 134:113104. [PMID: 37736285 PMCID: PMC10511258 DOI: 10.1063/5.0169565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
When it comes to simulate or calculate an optoelectronic tweezer (OET) response for a microparticle suspended in a given medium, a precise electrical conductivity (later referred to as conductivity) value for the microparticle is critical. However, there are not well-established measurements or well-referenced values for microparticle conductivities in the OET realm. Thus, we report a method based on measuring the escape velocity of a microparticle with a standard OET system to calculate its conductivity. A widely used 6 μm polystyrene bead (PSB) is used for the study. The conductivity values are found to be invariant around 2×10-3 S/m across multiple different aqueous media, which helps clarify the ambiguity in the usage of PSB conductivity. Our convenient approach could principally be applied for the measurement of multiple unknown OET-relevant material properties of microparticle-medium systems with various OET responses, which can be beneficial to carry out more accurate characterization in relevant fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Ren
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Mohammad Asif Zaman
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Mo Wu
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | | | - Ronald Wayne Davis
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Lambertus Hesselink
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
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Ďuračka M, Benko F, Chňapek M, Tvrdá E. Strategies for Bacterial Eradication from Human and Animal Semen Samples: Current Options and Future Alternatives. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:6978. [PMID: 37571761 PMCID: PMC10422635 DOI: 10.3390/s23156978] [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: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
The primary role of semen processing and preservation is to maintain a high proportion of structurally and functionally competent and mature spermatozoa, that may be used for the purposes of artificial reproduction when needed, whilst minimizing any potential causes of sperm deterioration during ex vivo semen handling. Out of a multitude of variables determining the success of sperm preservation, bacterial contamination has been acknowledged with an increased interest because of its often unpredictable and complex effects on semen quality. Whilst antibiotics are usually the most straight-forward option to prevent the bacterial contamination of semen, antimicrobial resistance has become a serious threat requiring widespread attention. As such, besides discussing the consequences of bacteriospermia on the sperm vitality and the risks of antibiotic overuse in andrology, this paper summarizes the currently available evidence on alternative strategies to prevent bacterial contamination of semen prior to, during, and following sperm processing, selection, and preservation. Alternative antibacterial supplements are reviewed, and emphasis is given to modern methods of sperm selection that may be combined by the physical removal of bacteria prior to sperm preservation or by use in assisted reproductive technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Ďuračka
- AgroBioTech Research Centre, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Filip Benko
- Institute of Applied Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Milan Chňapek
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Eva Tvrdá
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
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5
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Gupta K, Moon HR, Chen Z, Han B, Green NG, Wereley ST. Optically induced electrothermal microfluidic tweezers in bio-relevant media. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9819. [PMID: 37330519 PMCID: PMC10276874 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35722-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-contact micro-manipulation tools have enabled invasion-free studies of fragile synthetic particles and biological cells. Rapid electrokinetic patterning (REP) traps target particles/cells, suspended in an electrolyte, on an electrode surface. This entrapment is electrokinetic in nature and thus depends strongly on the suspension medium's properties. REP has been well characterized for manipulating synthetic particles suspended in low concentration salt solutions (~ 2 mS/m). However, it is not studied as extensively for manipulating biological cells, which introduces an additional level of complexity due to their limited viability in hypotonic media. In this work, we discuss challenges posed by isotonic electrolytes and suggest solutions to enable REP manipulation in bio-relevant media. Various formulations of isotonic media (salt and sugar-based) are tested for their compatibility with REP. REP manipulation is observed in low concentration salt-based media such as 0.1× phosphate buffered saline (PBS) when the device electrodes are passivated with a dielectric layer. We also show manipulation of murine pancreatic cancer cells suspended in a sugar-based (8.5% w/v sucrose and 0.3% w/v dextrose) isotonic medium. The ability to trap mammalian cells and deposit them in custom patterns enables high-impact applications such as determining their biomechanical properties and 3D bioprinting for tissue scaffolding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kshitiz Gupta
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Hye-Ran Moon
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Zhengwei Chen
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Bumsoo Han
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Nicolas G Green
- School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Steven T Wereley
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
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Karcz A, Van Soom A, Smits K, Verplancke R, Van Vlierberghe S, Vanfleteren J. Electrically-driven handling of gametes and embryos: taking a step towards the future of ARTs. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:1852-1875. [PMID: 35510672 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc01160j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Electrical stimulation of gametes and embryos and on-chip manipulation of microdroplets of culture medium serve as promising tools for assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). Thus far, dielectrophoresis (DEP), electrorotation (ER) and electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) proved compatible with most laboratory procedures offered by ARTs. Positioning, entrapment and selection of reproductive cells can be achieved with DEP and ER, while EWOD provides the dynamic microenvironment of a developing embryo to better mimic the functions of the oviduct. Furthermore, these techniques are applicable for the assessment of the developmental competence of a mammalian embryo in vitro. Such research paves the way towards the amelioration and full automation of the assisted reproduction methods. This article aims to provide a summary on the recent developments regarding electrically stimulated lab-on-chip devices and their application for the manipulation of gametes and embryos in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Karcz
- Centre for Microsystems Technology (CMST), Imec and Ghent University, Technologiepark Zwijnaarde 126, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Ghent, Belgium.
- Reproductive Biology Unit (RBU), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133 D4 entrance 4, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Ann Van Soom
- Reproductive Biology Unit (RBU), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133 D4 entrance 4, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Katrien Smits
- Reproductive Biology Unit (RBU), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133 D4 entrance 4, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Rik Verplancke
- Centre for Microsystems Technology (CMST), Imec and Ghent University, Technologiepark Zwijnaarde 126, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Sandra Van Vlierberghe
- Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Group, Centre of Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Campus Sterre, building S4, Krijgslaan 281, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Vanfleteren
- Centre for Microsystems Technology (CMST), Imec and Ghent University, Technologiepark Zwijnaarde 126, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Ghent, Belgium.
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7
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Li B, Yang H, Song Z, Xu H, Wang J, Wang Z. Implementation of flexible virtual microchannels based on optically induced dielectrophoresis. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 33:295102. [PMID: 35086078 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac4f80] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Micro-nano particle manipulation methods in liquid environments have been widely used in the fields such as medicine, biology and material science. Nevertheless, the methods usually rely on pre-prepared physical microfluidic channels. In this work, virtual electrodes based on the optically induced dielectrophoresis (ODEP) method were used as virtual microchannels instead of traditional physical microfluidic channels. Virtual microchannels with different shapes were implemented by the designs of projected light patterns, which made the virtual microchannels have great flexibility and controllability. The theory of ODEP was verified by simulation and analysis of electric field distributions. The relationship between the manipulation force and the alternating current (AC) voltage or the AC frequency exerted on the cells was assessed. The experimental results indicated that the manipulation force was increased with the increase of the AC voltage, and it was reduced with the increase of the AC frequency. Moreover, different virtual microchannels were designed to carry out the transportation, aggregation and sorting of yeast cells and rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-2H3 cells) and the survival rate of the cells was evaluated. This work shows that the virtual microchannels can be flexibly realized by ODEP in liquid environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Li
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun, University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
| | - Huanzhou Yang
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun, University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhengxun Song
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun, University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongmei Xu
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun, University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun, University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
| | - Zuobin Wang
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun, University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
- JR3CN & IRAC, University of Bedfordshire, Luton LU1 3JU, United Kingdom
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Zhang S, Xu B, Elsayed M, Nan F, Liang W, Valley JK, Liu L, Huang Q, Wu MC, Wheeler AR. Optoelectronic tweezers: a versatile toolbox for nano-/micro-manipulation. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:9203-9242. [DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00359g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This review covers the fundamentals, recent progress and state-of-the-art applications of optoelectronic tweezers technology, and demonstrates that optoelectronic tweezers technology is a versatile and powerful toolbox for nano-/micro-manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuailong Zhang
- School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Room 711, Building No 6, Science and Technology Park, 5 Zhongguancun South St, Haidian District, Beijing, 100081, China
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robots and Systems (Beijing Institute of Technology), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Bingrui Xu
- School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Room 711, Building No 6, Science and Technology Park, 5 Zhongguancun South St, Haidian District, Beijing, 100081, China
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Mohamed Elsayed
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Fan Nan
- Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Wenfeng Liang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, 110168, China
| | - Justin K. Valley
- Berkeley Lights, Inc, 5858 Horton Street #320, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
| | - Lianqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Qiang Huang
- School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Room 711, Building No 6, Science and Technology Park, 5 Zhongguancun South St, Haidian District, Beijing, 100081, China
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robots and Systems (Beijing Institute of Technology), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Ming C. Wu
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Aaron R. Wheeler
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
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Gupta K, Chen Z, Williams SJ, Wereley ST. Time-resolved particle image velocimetry analysis and computational modeling of transient optically induced electrothermal micro vortex. Electrophoresis 2021; 42:2483-2489. [PMID: 34409621 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202100104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Trapping, sorting, transportation, and manipulation of synthetic microparticles and biological cells enable investigations in their behavior and properties. Microfluidic techniques like rapid electrokinetic patterning (REP) provide a non-invasive means to probe into the nature of these micro and nanoparticles. The opto-electrically induced nature of a REP micro vortex allows tuning of the trap characteristics in real-time. In this work, we studied the effects of transient optical heating on the induced electrothermal vortex using micro-particle image velocimetry (μ-PIV) and computational modeling. A near infra-red (980 nm) laser beam was focused on a colloidal suspension of 1 μm polystyrene beads sandwiched between two parallel-plate electrodes. The electrodes were subjected to an AC current. The laser spot was scanned back-and-forth in a line, at different frequencies, to create the transient vortex. This phenomenon was also studied with a computational model made using COMSOL Multiphysics. We visualize fluid flow in custom-shaped REP traps by superposing multiple axisymmetric (spot) vortices and discuss the limitations of using superposition in dynamically changing traps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kshitiz Gupta
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Zhengwei Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Stuart J Williams
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Steven T Wereley
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
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10
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Kwizera EA, Sun M, White AM, Li J, He X. Methods of Generating Dielectrophoretic Force for Microfluidic Manipulation of Bioparticles. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2021; 7:2043-2063. [PMID: 33871975 PMCID: PMC8205986 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c00083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Manipulation of microscale bioparticles including living cells is of great significance to the broad bioengineering and biotechnology fields. Dielectrophoresis (DEP), which is defined as the interactions between dielectric particles and the electric field, is one of the most widely used techniques for the manipulation of bioparticles including cell separation, sorting, and trapping. Bioparticles experience a DEP force if they have a different polarization from the surrounding media in an electric field that is nonuniform in terms of the intensity and/or phase of the electric field. A comprehensive literature survey shows that the DEP-based microfluidic devices for manipulating bioparticles can be categorized according to the methods of creating the nonuniformity via patterned microchannels, electrodes, and media to generate the DEP force. These methods together with the theory of DEP force generation are described in this review, to provide a summary of the methods and materials that have been used to manipulate various bioparticles for various specific biological outcomes. Further developments of DEP-based technologies include identifying materials that better integrate with electrodes than current popular materials (silicone/glass) and improving the performance of DEP manipulation of bioparticles by combining it with other methods of handling bioparticles. Collectively, DEP-based microfluidic manipulation of bioparticles holds great potential for various biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elyahb A. Kwizera
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Mingrui Sun
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - Alisa M. White
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Jianrong Li
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Xiaoming He
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
- Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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11
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Gai J, Nosrati R, Neild A. High DNA integrity sperm selection using surface acoustic waves. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:4262-4272. [PMID: 33073274 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00457j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Male infertility is a global reproductive issue, several clinical approaches have been developed to tackle it, but their effectiveness is limited by the labour-intensive and time-consuming sperm selection procedures used. Here, we present an automated, acoustic based continuous-flow method capable of selecting high quality sperm with considerably improved motility and DNA integrity compared to the initial raw bull semen. The acoustic field translates larger sperm and guides highly motile sperm across the channel width. The result is the selection of sperm with over 50% and 60% improvement in vitality and progressive motility and more than 38% improvement in DNA integrity, respectively, while providing a clinically relevant volume and selected sperm number for the performance of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) by selecting over 60 000 sperm in under an hour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyang Gai
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
| | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
| | - Adrian Neild
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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12
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Chu PY, Hsieh CH, Wu MH. The Combination of Immunomagnetic Bead-Based Cell Isolation and Optically Induced Dielectrophoresis (ODEP)-Based Microfluidic Device for the Negative Selection-Based Isolation of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs). Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:921. [PMID: 32903713 PMCID: PMC7438881 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Negative selection-based circulating tumor cell (CTC) isolation is able to harvest viable, label-free, and clinically meaningful CTCs from the cancer patients' blood. Nevertheless, its main shortcoming is its inability to isolate high-purity CTCs, restricting subsequent CTC-related analysis. To address this issue, this study proposed a two-step optically-induced dielectrophoresis (ODEP) cell manipulation to process the cell sample harvested by negative selection-/immunomagnetic microbeads-based CTC isolation. The working mechanism is that the ODEP force acting on the cells with and without magnetic microbeads binding is different. Accordingly, the use of ODEP cell manipulation in a microfluidic system was designed to first separate and then isolate the cancer cells from other magnetic microbead-bound cells. Immunofluorescent microscopic observation and ODEP cell manipulation were then performed to refine the purity of the cancer cells. In this study, the optimum operating conditions for effective cell isolation were determined experimentally. The results revealed that the presented method was able to further refine the purity of cancer cell in the sample obtained after negative selection-based CTC isolation with high cell purity (81.6~86.1%). Overall, this study proposed the combination of immunomagnetic bead-based cell isolation and ODEP cell manipulation for the negative selection-based isolation of CTCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Yu Chu
- Ph.D. Program in Biomedical Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Hsun Hsieh
- Division of Haematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Linkou), Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- Division of Haematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Min-Hsien Wu
- Division of Haematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Linkou), Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City, Taiwan
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13
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Marzano G, Chiriacò MS, Primiceri E, Dell’Aquila ME, Ramalho-Santos J, Zara V, Ferramosca A, Maruccio G. Sperm selection in assisted reproduction: A review of established methods and cutting-edge possibilities. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 40:107498. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.107498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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14
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Abstract
Gender affirming medical and surgical treatments affect the reproductive potential of transgender individuals. Prior to the development of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), genital gender-affirming surgery frequently eliminated a patient’s reproductive potential. Today, all patients should be counseled on their fertility preservation (FP) options before medical and surgical transition, yet this appears to seldom occur in practice. The following review is the result of a systematic literature search of PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar to identify current and future FP options, barriers to treatment patients face, practice patterns of transgender health care providers, and if there were any standardized counseling protocols. Options for transwomen at any point in their transition range from simply providing a semen sample to be used with assistive reproductive techniques to experimental techniques involving testicular cryopreservation followed by in vitro initiation of spermatogenesis. Transmen before and after starting hormone therapy can pursue any assistive reproductive techniques available for ciswomen. Future options currently under investigation include ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) with in vitro oocyte maturation. In addition to counseling about their FP options, patients should be advised prospectively about the requirements, process details, the total costs associated with achieving pregnancy, and the inherent risks associated with using preserved genetic material including risk of failure, and maternal and fetal health risks. Transgender patients report using assistive reproductive services difficult, due to a lack of dialogue about fertility and the lack of information offered to them- presumably because their circumstances do not fit into a traditional narrative familiar to providers. Physicians and health care providers would benefit from better educational tools to help transgender patients make informed decisions and better training about transgender patients in general, and FP options available to them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Sterling
- Division of Urology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Maurice M Garcia
- Division of Urology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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15
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Mangum CL, Patel DP, Jafek AR, Samuel R, Jenkins TG, Aston KI, Gale BK, Hotaling JM. Towards a better testicular sperm extraction: novel sperm sorting technologies for non-motile sperm extracted by microdissection TESE. Transl Androl Urol 2020; 9:S206-S214. [PMID: 32257861 PMCID: PMC7108989 DOI: 10.21037/tau.2019.08.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is the most severe form of male factor infertility. It is characterized by a lack of spermatogenesis in the seminiferous tubules. Microdissection testicular sperm extraction (microTESE) has significantly improved testicular sperm retrieval rates compared to conventional techniques for NOA. Following testicular biopsy, the sperm is usually non-motile and contained within seminiferous tubules requiring extensive laboratory processing to find individual sperm sufficient for artificial reproductive technologies (ART). Current techniques include mechanical and enzymatic processing which is time-consuming and often damaging to sperm. We review novel techniques that may help improve sperm retrieval rates after microTESE including microfluidics (dielectrophoretic cell sorting, spiral channel sorting, and pinched flow fractionation), fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), and magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathy L Mangum
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Darshan P Patel
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Alexander R Jafek
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Raheel Samuel
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Tim G Jenkins
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Andrology and IVF Laboratory, Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Kenneth I Aston
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Andrology and IVF Laboratory, Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Bruce K Gale
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - James M Hotaling
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Andrology and IVF Laboratory, Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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16
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Zhang J, Song Z, Liu Q, Song Y. Recent advances in dielectrophoresis‐based cell viability assessment. Electrophoresis 2020; 41:917-932. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201900340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Junyan Zhang
- Department of Marine EngineeringDalian Maritime University Dalian P. R. China
| | - Zhenyu Song
- Department of RadiotherapyJiaozhou Central Hospital Qingdao P. R. China
| | - Qinxin Liu
- Department of Marine EngineeringDalian Maritime University Dalian P. R. China
| | - Yongxin Song
- Department of Marine EngineeringDalian Maritime University Dalian P. R. China
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17
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Jorgolli M, Nevill T, Winters A, Chen I, Chong S, Lin F, Mock M, Chen C, Le K, Tan C, Jess P, Xu H, Hamburger A, Stevens J, Munro T, Wu M, Tagari P, Miranda LP. Nanoscale integration of single cell biologics discovery processes using optofluidic manipulation and monitoring. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:2393-2411. [PMID: 31112285 PMCID: PMC6771990 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The new and rapid advancement in the complexity of biologics drug discovery has been driven by a deeper understanding of biological systems combined with innovative new therapeutic modalities, paving the way to breakthrough therapies for previously intractable diseases. These exciting times in biomedical innovation require the development of novel technologies to facilitate the sophisticated, multifaceted, high-paced workflows necessary to support modern large molecule drug discovery. A high-level aspiration is a true integration of "lab-on-a-chip" methods that vastly miniaturize cellulmical experiments could transform the speed, cost, and success of multiple workstreams in biologics development. Several microscale bioprocess technologies have been established that incrementally address these needs, yet each is inflexibly designed for a very specific process thus limiting an integrated holistic application. A more fully integrated nanoscale approach that incorporates manipulation, culture, analytics, and traceable digital record keeping of thousands of single cells in a relevant nanoenvironment would be a transformative technology capable of keeping pace with today's rapid and complex drug discovery demands. The recent advent of optical manipulation of cells using light-induced electrokinetics with micro- and nanoscale cell culture is poised to revolutionize both fundamental and applied biological research. In this review, we summarize the current state of the art for optical manipulation techniques and discuss emerging biological applications of this technology. In particular, we focus on promising prospects for drug discovery workflows, including antibody discovery, bioassay development, antibody engineering, and cell line development, which are enabled by the automation and industrialization of an integrated optoelectronic single-cell manipulation and culture platform. Continued development of such platforms will be well positioned to overcome many of the challenges currently associated with fragmented, low-throughput bioprocess workflows in biopharma and life science research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tanner Nevill
- Product ApplicationsBerkeley Lights, IncEmeryvilleCalifornia
| | - Aaron Winters
- Amgen ResearchOne Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
| | - Irwin Chen
- Amgen ResearchOne Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
| | - Su Chong
- Amgen ResearchOne Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
| | - Fen‐Fen Lin
- Amgen ResearchOne Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
| | - Marissa Mock
- Amgen ResearchOne Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
| | - Ching Chen
- Amgen ResearchOne Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
| | - Kim Le
- Drug Substance Technologies, One Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
| | - Christopher Tan
- Drug Substance Technologies, One Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
| | - Philip Jess
- Product ApplicationsBerkeley Lights, IncEmeryvilleCalifornia
| | - Han Xu
- Drug DiscoveryA2 BiotherapeuticsWestlake VillageCalifornia
| | - Agi Hamburger
- Drug DiscoveryA2 BiotherapeuticsWestlake VillageCalifornia
| | - Jennitte Stevens
- Drug Substance Technologies, One Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
| | - Trent Munro
- Drug Substance Technologies, One Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
| | - Ming Wu
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer SciencesUniversity of California at BerkeleyBerkeleyCalifornia
| | - Philip Tagari
- Amgen ResearchOne Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
| | - Les P. Miranda
- Amgen ResearchOne Amgen Center DriveThousand OaksCalifornia
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18
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Liang W, Liu L, Zhang H, Wang Y, Li WJ. Optoelectrokinetics-based microfluidic platform for bioapplications: A review of recent advances. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2019; 13:051502. [PMID: 31558919 PMCID: PMC6748859 DOI: 10.1063/1.5116737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The introduction of optoelectrokinetics (OEK) into lab-on-a-chip systems has facilitated a new cutting-edge technique-the OEK-based micro/nanoscale manipulation, separation, and assembly processes-for the microfluidics community. This technique offers a variety of extraordinary advantages such as programmability, flexibility, high biocompatibility, low-cost mass production, ultralow optical power requirement, reconfigurability, rapidness, and ease of integration with other microfluidic units. This paper reviews the physical mechanisms that govern the manipulation of micro/nano-objects in microfluidic environments as well as applications related to OEK-based micro/nanoscale manipulation-applications that span from single-cell manipulation to single-molecular behavior determination. This paper wraps up with a discussion of the current challenges and future prospects for the OEK-based microfluidics technique. The conclusion is that this technique will allow more opportunities for biomedical and bioengineering researchers to improve lab-on-a-chip technologies and will have far-reaching implications for biorelated researches and applications in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfeng Liang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang 110168, China
| | - Lianqing Liu
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
| | - Hemin Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The People’s Hospital of Liaoning Province, Shenyang 110016, China
| | | | - Wen Jung Li
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
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19
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Shuchat S, Park S, Kol S, Yossifon G. Distinct and independent dielectrophoretic behavior of the head and tail of sperm and its potential for the safe sorting and isolation of rare spermatozoa. Electrophoresis 2019; 40:1606-1614. [PMID: 30892707 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201800437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Often, in semen samples with minute amounts of sperm, even the single spermatozoon required to fertilize an oocyte cannot be found in the ejaculate. This is primarily because currently, sperm is generally searched for manually under a microscope. In this study, dielectrophoresis (DEP) was investigated as an alternative automated technique for sorting sperm cells. Using a quadrupolar electrode array it was shown that the head and tail of the sperm had independent and unique crossover frequencies corresponding to the transition of the DEP force from repulsive (negative) to attractive (positive). These surprising results were further analyzed, showing that the head and tail have their own distinct electrical properties. This significant result allows for the sperm's head, which contains the DNA, to be distanced from potentially damaging high electric fields using negative DEP while simultaneously manipulating and sorting the sperm using the positive DEP response of the tail. A proof of concept sorting chip was designed and tested. The low crossover frequency of the tail also allows for the use of a higher conductivity, and thus more physiological, medium than the conventional DEP solutions. Although more research is required to design and optimize an efficient, user-friendly, and high-throughput device, this research is a proof of concept that DEP has the potential to automate and improve the processing of semen samples, especially those containing only rare spermatozoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sholom Shuchat
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Micro- and Nanofluidics Laboratory, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City, Israel
| | - Sinwook Park
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Micro- and Nanofluidics Laboratory, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City, Israel
| | - Shahar Kol
- IVF Unit, Rambam Health Care Campus, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Gilad Yossifon
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Micro- and Nanofluidics Laboratory, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City, Israel
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20
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Zhang S, Shakiba N, Chen Y, Zhang Y, Tian P, Singh J, Chamberlain MD, Satkauskas M, Flood AG, Kherani NP, Yu S, Zandstra PW, Wheeler AR. Patterned Optoelectronic Tweezers: A New Scheme for Selecting, Moving, and Storing Dielectric Particles and Cells. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2018; 14:e1803342. [PMID: 30307718 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201803342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Optical micromanipulation has become popular for a wide range of applications. In this work, a new type of optical micromanipulation platform, patterned optoelectronic tweezers (p-OET), is introduced. In p-OET devices, the photoconductive layer (that is continuous in a conventional OET device) is patterned, forming regions in which the electrode layer is locally exposed. It is demonstrated that micropatterns in the photoconductive layer are useful for repelling unwanted particles/cells, and also for keeping selected particles/cells in place after turning off the light source, minimizing light-induced heating. To clarify the physical mechanism behind these effects, systematic simulations are carried out, which indicate the existence of strong nonuniform electric fields at the boundary of micropatterns. The simulations are consistent with experimental observations, which are explored for a wide variety of geometries and conditions. It is proposed that the new technique may be useful for myriad applications in the rapidly growing area of optical micromanipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuailong Zhang
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Nika Shakiba
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Yujie Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Yanfeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Pengfei Tian
- Institute for Electric Light Sources, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Jastaranpreet Singh
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - M Dean Chamberlain
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Monika Satkauskas
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Andrew G Flood
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G4, Canada
| | - Nazir P Kherani
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G4, Canada
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E4, Canada
| | - Siyuan Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- Photonics Group, Merchant Venturers School of Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS81UB, UK
| | - Peter W Zandstra
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada
- Medicine by Design, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Aaron R Wheeler
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
- Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada
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21
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Peng X, Lin L, Hill EH, Kunal P, Humphrey SM, Zheng Y. Optothermophoretic Manipulation of Colloidal Particles in Nonionic Liquids. THE JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C, NANOMATERIALS AND INTERFACES 2018; 122:24226-24234. [PMID: 30766650 PMCID: PMC6369910 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b03828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The response of colloidal particles to a light-controlled external temperature field can be harnessed for opto-thermophoretic manipulation of the particles. The thermoelectric effect is regarded as the driving force for thermophoretic trapping of particles at the light-irradiated hot region, which is thus limited to ionic liquids. Herein, we achieve opto-thermophoretic manipulation of colloidal particles in various non-ionic liquids, including water, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and 1-butanol, and establish the physical mechanism of the manipulation at the molecular level. We reveal that the non-ionic driving force originates from a layered structure of solvent molecules at the particle-solvent interface, which is supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, the effects of hydrophilicity, solvent type, and ionic strength on the layered interfacial structures and thus the trapping stability of particles are investigated, providing molecular-level insight into thermophoresis and guidance on interfacial engineering for optothermal manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolei Peng
- Materials Science & Engineering Program and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Linhan Lin
- Materials Science & Engineering Program and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Eric H. Hill
- Materials Science & Engineering Program and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Pranaw Kunal
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Simon M. Humphrey
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Yuebing Zheng
- Materials Science & Engineering Program and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Corresponding Author:
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Samuel R, Feng H, Jafek A, Despain D, Jenkins T, Gale B. Microfluidic-based sperm sorting & analysis for treatment of male infertility. Transl Androl Urol 2018; 7:S336-S347. [PMID: 30159240 PMCID: PMC6087839 DOI: 10.21037/tau.2018.05.08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Microfluidics technology has emerged as an enabling technology for different fields of medicine and life sciences. One such field is male infertility where microfluidic technologies are enabling optimization of sperm sample preparation and analysis. In this chapter we review how microfluidic technology has been used for sperm quantification, sperm quality analysis, and sperm manipulation and isolation with subsequent use of the purified sperm population for treatment of male infertility. As we discuss demonstrations of microfluidic sperm sorting/manipulation/analysis, we highlight systems that have demonstrated feasibility towards clinical adoption or have reached commercialization in the male infertility market. We then review microfluidic-based systems that facilitate non-invasive identification and sorting of viable sperm for in vitro fertilization. Finally, we explore commercialization challenges associated with microfluidic sperm sorting systems and provide suggestions and future directions to best overcome them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raheel Samuel
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Haidong Feng
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Alex Jafek
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Dillon Despain
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Timothy Jenkins
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Bruce Gale
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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23
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Kashaninejad N, Shiddiky MJA, Nguyen N. Advances in Microfluidics‐Based Assisted Reproductive Technology: From Sperm Sorter to Reproductive System‐on‐a‐Chip. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/adbi.201700197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Navid Kashaninejad
- Queensland Micro‐ and Nanotechnology Centre Nathan Campus Griffith University 170 Kessels Road Brisbane QLD 4111 Australia
| | | | - Nam‐Trung Nguyen
- Queensland Micro‐ and Nanotechnology Centre Nathan Campus Griffith University 170 Kessels Road Brisbane QLD 4111 Australia
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25
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Zhao G, Fu J. Microfluidics for cryopreservation. Biotechnol Adv 2017; 35:323-336. [PMID: 28153517 PMCID: PMC6236673 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2017.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2016] [Revised: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Cryopreservation has utility in clinical and scientific research but implementation is highly complex and includes labor-intensive cell-specific protocols for the addition/removal of cryoprotective agents and freeze-thaw cycles. Microfluidic platforms can revolutionize cryopreservation by providing new tools to manipulate and screen cells at micro/nano scales, which are presently difficult or impossible with conventional bulk approaches. This review describes applications of microfluidic tools in cell manipulation, cryoprotective agent exposure, programmed freezing/thawing, vitrification, and in situ assessment in cryopreservation, and discusses achievements and challenges, providing perspectives for future development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Zhao
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Electronic Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, Anhui, PR China.
| | - Jianping Fu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Michigan Center for Integrative Research in Critical Care, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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de Wagenaar B, Dekker S, de Boer HL, Bomer JG, Olthuis W, van den Berg A, Segerink LI. Towards microfluidic sperm refinement: impedance-based analysis and sorting of sperm cells. LAB ON A CHIP 2016; 16:1514-1522. [PMID: 27025866 DOI: 10.1039/c6lc00256k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The use of high quality semen for artificial insemination in the livestock industry is essential for successful outcome. Insemination using semen with a high number of sperm cells containing morphological defects has a negative impact on fertilization outcome. Therefore, semen with a high number of these abnormal cells is discarded in order to maintain high fertilization potential, resulting in the loss of a large number of morphologically normal sperm cells (up to 70-80% of original sample). A commonly occurring morphological sperm anomaly is the cytoplasmic droplet on the sperm flagella. Currently, no techniques are available to extract morphologically normal sperm cells from rejected samples. Therefore, we aim to develop a microfluidic setup which is able to detect and sort morphologically normal sperm cells label-free and non-invasively. In a proof-of-concept experiment, differential impedance measurements were used to detect the presence of cytoplasmic droplets on sperm flagella, which was quantified by calculating the area under the curve (AUC) of the corresponding impedance peaks. A receiver operating characteristic curve of this electrical analysis method showed the good predictive power of this analysis method (AUC value of 0.85). Furthermore, we developed a label-free cell sorting system using LabVIEW, which is capable of sorting sperm cells based on impedance. In a proof-of-concept experiment, sperm cells and 3 μm beads were sorted label-free and non-invasively using impedance detection and dielectrophoresis sorting. These experiments present our first attempt to perform sperm refinement using microfluidic technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- B de Wagenaar
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA+ and MIRA Institutes, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. ,
| | - S Dekker
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA+ and MIRA Institutes, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. ,
| | - H L de Boer
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA+ and MIRA Institutes, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. ,
| | - J G Bomer
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA+ and MIRA Institutes, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. ,
| | - W Olthuis
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA+ and MIRA Institutes, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. ,
| | - A van den Berg
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA+ and MIRA Institutes, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. ,
| | - L I Segerink
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA+ and MIRA Institutes, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. , and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Self-Locking Optoelectronic Tweezers for Single-Cell and Microparticle Manipulation across a Large Area in High Conductivity Media. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22630. [PMID: 26940301 PMCID: PMC4778053 DOI: 10.1038/srep22630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Optoelectronic tweezers (OET) has advanced within the past decade to become a promising tool for cell and microparticle manipulation. Its incompatibility with high conductivity media and limited throughput remain two major technical challenges. Here a novel manipulation concept and corresponding platform called Self-Locking Optoelectronic Tweezers (SLOT) are proposed and demonstrated to tackle these challenges concurrently. The SLOT platform comprises a periodic array of optically tunable phototransistor traps above which randomly dispersed single cells and microparticles are self-aligned to and retained without light illumination. Light beam illumination on a phototransistor turns off the trap and releases the trapped cell, which is then transported downstream via a background flow. The cell trapping and releasing functions in SLOT are decoupled, which is a unique feature that enables SLOT’s stepper-mode function to overcome the small field-of-view issue that all prior OET technologies encountered in manipulation with single-cell resolution across a large area. Massively parallel trapping of more than 100,000 microparticles has been demonstrated in high conductivity media. Even larger scale trapping and manipulation can be achieved by linearly scaling up the number of phototransistors and device area. Cells after manipulation on the SLOT platform maintain high cell viability and normal multi-day divisibility.
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Hochstetter A, Stellamanns E, Deshpande S, Uppaluri S, Engstler M, Pfohl T. Microfluidics-based single cell analysis reveals drug-dependent motility changes in trypanosomes. LAB ON A CHIP 2015; 15:1961-8. [PMID: 25756872 DOI: 10.1039/c5lc00124b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
We present a single cell viability assay, based on chemical gradient microfluidics in combination with optical micromanipulation. Here, we used this combination to in situ monitor the effects of drugs and chemicals on the motility of the flagellated unicellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei; specifically, the local cell velocity and the mean squared displacement (MSD) of the cell trajectories. With our method, we are able to record in situ cell fixation by glutaraldehyde, and to quantify the critical concentration of 2-deoxy-d-glucose required to completely paralyze trypanosomes. In addition, we detected and quantified the impact on cell propulsion and energy generation at much lower 2-deoxy-d-glucose concentrations. Our microfluidics-based approach advances fast cell-based drug testing in a way that allows us to distinguish cytocidal from cytostatic drug effects, screen effective dosages, and investigate the impact on cell motility of drugs and chemicals. Using suramin, we could reveal the impact of the widely used drug on trypanosomes: suramin lowers trypanosome motility and induces cell-lysis after endocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Hochstetter
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
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de Wagenaar B, Berendsen JTW, Bomer JG, Olthuis W, van den Berg A, Segerink LI. Microfluidic single sperm entrapment and analysis. LAB ON A CHIP 2015; 15:1294-301. [PMID: 25578490 DOI: 10.1039/c4lc01425a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Selection of healthy spermatozoa is of crucial importance for the success rates of assisted reproduction technologies (ART) such as in vitro fertilization and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection. Although sperm selection for ART procedures is predominantly based on sperm motility, successful fertilization is not predicted by good motility alone. For example, sperm characteristics such as the acrosome state and DNA integrity have shown significant impact on ART outcome. Although fertilization can be achieved with a single spermatozoon of high quality, current quality assessments are population-based and do not allow investigation of multiple sperm characteristics on a single spermatozoon simultaneously. In order to study sperm cells on the single cell level, we designed and characterized a PDMS microfluidic platform that allows single sperm entrapment. After spatially confining individual sperm cells within microfluidic cell traps, the cell viability, chromosomal content and acrosome state were studied. This platform is suitable for the analysis of individual sperm cells, which could be exploited for (non-invasive) sperm analysis and selection by impedance or Raman spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- B de Wagenaar
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA+ and MIRA Institutes, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
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31
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Lee GB, Wu HC, Yang PF, Mai JD. Optically induced dielectropheresis sorting with automated medium exchange in an integrated optofluidic device resulting in higher cell viability. LAB ON A CHIP 2014; 14:2837-2843. [PMID: 24911448 DOI: 10.1039/c4lc00466c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrated the integration of a microfluidic device with an optically induced dielectrophoresis (ODEP) device such that the critical medium replacement process was performed automatically and the cells could be subsequently manipulated by using digitally projected optical images. ODEP has been demonstrated to generate sufficient forces for manipulating particles/cells by projecting a light pattern onto photoconductive materials which creates virtual electrodes. The production of the ODEP force usually requires a medium that has a suitable electrical conductivity and an appropriate dielectric constant. Therefore, a 0.2 M sucrose solution is commonly used. However, this requires a complicated medium replacement process before one is able to manipulate cells. Furthermore, the 0.2 M sucrose solution is not suitable for the long-term viability of cells. In comparison to conventional manual processes, our automated medium replacement process only took 25 minutes. Experimental data showed that there was up to a 96.2% recovery rate for the manipulated cells. More importantly, the survival rate of the cells was greatly enhanced due to this faster automated process. This newly developed microfluidic chip provided a promising platform for the rapid replacement of the cell medium and this was also the first time that an ODEP device was integrated with other active flow control components in a microfluidic device. By improving cell viability after cell manipulation, this design may contribute to the practical integration of ODEP modules into other lab-on-a-chip devices and biomedical applications in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwo-Bin Lee
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan.
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32
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Mishra A, Kwon JS, Thakur R, Wereley S. Optoelectrical microfluidics as a promising tool in biology. Trends Biotechnol 2014; 32:414-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2014.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2013] [Revised: 05/29/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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Nosrati R, Vollmer M, Eamer L, San Gabriel MC, Zeidan K, Zini A, Sinton D. Rapid selection of sperm with high DNA integrity. LAB ON A CHIP 2014; 14:1142-50. [PMID: 24464038 DOI: 10.1039/c3lc51254a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Sperm selection is essential to assisted reproductive technology (ART), influencing treatment outcomes and the health of offspring. The fundamental challenge of sperm selection is dictated by biology: a heterogeneous population of ~10(8) sperm per milliliter with a short lifetime in vitro. However, conventional sperm selection approaches result in less than 50% improvement in DNA integrity. Here, a clinically applicable microfluidic device is presented that selects sperm based on the progressive motility in 500 parallel microchannels. The result is a one-step procedure for semen purification and high DNA integrity sperm selection from 1 mL of raw semen in under 20 minutes. Experiments with bull sperm indicate more than 89% improvement in selected sperm vitality. Clinical tests with human sperm show more than 80% improvement in human DNA integrity, significantly outperforming the best current practices. These results demonstrate the presence of a sub-population of sperm with nearly intact chromatin and DNA integrity, and a simple clinically-applicable lab-on-a-chip method to select this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G8.
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34
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Liang W, Zhao Y, Liu L, Wang Y, Dong Z, Li WJ, Lee GB, Xiao X, Zhang W. Rapid and label-free separation of Burkitt's lymphoma cells from red blood cells by optically-induced electrokinetics. PLoS One 2014; 9:e90827. [PMID: 24608811 PMCID: PMC3946566 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2013] [Accepted: 02/04/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Early stage detection of lymphoma cells is invaluable for providing reliable prognosis to patients. However, the purity of lymphoma cells in extracted samples from human patients' marrow is typically low. To address this issue, we report here our work on using optically-induced dielectrophoresis (ODEP) force to rapidly purify Raji cells' (a type of Burkitt's lymphoma cell) sample from red blood cells (RBCs) with a label-free process. This method utilizes dynamically moving virtual electrodes to induce negative ODEP force of varying magnitudes on the Raji cells and RBCs in an optically-induced electrokinetics (OEK) chip. Polarization models for the two types of cells that reflect their discriminate electrical properties were established. Then, the cells' differential velocities caused by a specific ODEP force field were obtained by a finite element simulation model, thereby established the theoretical basis that the two types of cells could be separated using an ODEP force field. To ensure that the ODEP force dominated the separation process, a comparison of the ODEP force with other significant electrokinetics forces was conducted using numerical results. Furthermore, the performance of the ODEP-based approach for separating Raji cells from RBCs was experimentally investigated. The results showed that these two types of cells, with different concentration ratios, could be separated rapidly using externally-applied electrical field at a driven frequency of 50 kHz at 20 Vpp. In addition, we have found that in order to facilitate ODEP-based cell separation, Raji cells' adhesion to the OEK chip's substrate should be minimized. This paper also presents our experimental results of finding the appropriate bovine serum albumin concentration in an isotonic solution to reduce cell adhesion, while maintaining suitable medium conductivity for electrokinetics-based cell separation. In short, we have demonstrated that OEK technology could be a promising tool for efficient and effective purification of Raji cells from RBCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfeng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Yuliang Zhao
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Lianqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- * E-mail: (LL); (WJL)
| | - Yuechao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Zaili Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Wen Jung Li
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- * E-mail: (LL); (WJL)
| | - Gwo-Bin Lee
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Xiubin Xiao
- Department of Lymphoma, Affiliated Hospital of Military Medical Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weijing Zhang
- Department of Lymphoma, Affiliated Hospital of Military Medical Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Chen Y, Li P, Huang PH, Xie Y, Mai JD, Wang L, Nguyen NT, Huang TJ. Rare cell isolation and analysis in microfluidics. LAB ON A CHIP 2014; 14:626-45. [PMID: 24406985 PMCID: PMC3991782 DOI: 10.1039/c3lc90136j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 201] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Rare cells are low-abundance cells in a much larger population of background cells. Conventional benchtop techniques have limited capabilities to isolate and analyze rare cells because of their generally low selectivity and significant sample loss. Recent rapid advances in microfluidics have been providing robust solutions to the challenges in the isolation and analysis of rare cells. In addition to the apparent performance enhancements resulting in higher efficiencies and sensitivity levels, microfluidics provides other advanced features such as simpler handling of small sample volumes and multiplexing capabilities for high-throughput processing. All of these advantages make microfluidics an excellent platform to deal with the transport, isolation, and analysis of rare cells. Various cellular biomarkers, including physical properties, dielectric properties, as well as immunoaffinities, have been explored for isolating rare cells. In this Focus article, we discuss the design considerations of representative microfluidic devices for rare cell isolation and analysis. Examples from recently published works are discussed to highlight the advantages and limitations of the different techniques. Various applications of these techniques are then introduced. Finally, a perspective on the development trends and promising research directions in this field are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchao Chen
- Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Peng Li
- Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Po-Hsun Huang
- Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Yuliang Xie
- Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - John D. Mai
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, PR China
| | - Lin Wang
- Ascent Bio-Nano Technologies Inc., State College, PA 16801, USA
| | - Nam-Trung Nguyen
- Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Brisbane 4111, Australia
| | - Tony Jun Huang
- Fax: 814-865-9974; Tel: 814-863-4209; Fax: 61-(0)7-3735-8021; Tel: 61-(0)7-3735-3921;
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36
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Huang KW, Wu YC, Lee JA, Chiou PY. Microfluidic integrated optoelectronic tweezers for single-cell preparation and analysis. LAB ON A CHIP 2013; 13:3721-7. [PMID: 23884358 DOI: 10.1039/c3lc50607j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
We report a novel microfluidic integrated optoelectronic tweezers (OET) platform for single-cell sample preparation and analysis. Integration of OET and microfluidics is achieved by embedding single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) electrodes into multilayer PDMS structures. This integrated platform allows users to selectively pick up individual cells from a population with light beams based on their optical signatures such as size, shape, and fluorescence, and transport them into isolated chambers using light induced dielectrophoretic forces. Isolated cells can be encapsulated into nanoliter liquid plugs and transported out of the platform for downstream molecule analysis using standard commercial instruments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuo-Wei Huang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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37
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Huang KW, Su TW, Ozcan A, Chiou PY. Optoelectronic tweezers integrated with lensfree holographic microscopy for wide-field interactive cell and particle manipulation on a chip. LAB ON A CHIP 2013; 13:2278-84. [PMID: 23661233 PMCID: PMC3684708 DOI: 10.1039/c3lc50168j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate an optoelectronic tweezer (OET) coupled to a lensfree holographic microscope for real-time interactive manipulation of cells and micro-particles over a large field-of-view (FOV). This integrated platform can record the holographic images of cells and particles over the entire active area of a CCD sensor array, perform digital image reconstruction to identify target cells, dynamically track the positions of cells and particles, and project light beams to trigger light-induced dielectrophoretic forces to pattern and sort cells on a chip. OET technology has been previously shown to be capable of performing parallel single cell manipulation over a large area. However, its throughput has been bottlenecked by the number of cells that can be imaged within the limited FOV of a conventional microscope objective lens. Integrating lensfree holographic imaging with OET solves this fundamental FOV barrier, while also creating a compact on-chip cell/particle manipulation platform. Using this unique platform, we have successfully demonstrated real-time interactive manipulation of thousands of single cells and micro-particles over an ultra-large area of e.g., 240 mm(2) (i.e. 17.96 mm × 13.52 mm).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuo-Wei Huang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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38
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Huang SB, Wu MH, Lin YH, Hsieh CH, Yang CL, Lin HC, Tseng CP, Lee GB. High-purity and label-free isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in a microfluidic platform by using optically-induced-dielectrophoretic (ODEP) force. LAB ON A CHIP 2013; 13:1371-83. [PMID: 23389102 DOI: 10.1039/c3lc41256c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Negative selection-based circulating tumor cell (CTC) isolation is believed valuable to harvest more native, and in particular all possible CTCs without biases relevant to the properties of surface antigens on the CTCs. Under such a cell isolation strategy, however, the CTC purity is normally compromised. To address this issue, this study reports the integration of optically-induced-dielectrophoretic (ODEP) force-based cell manipulation, and a laminar flow regime in a microfluidic platform for the isolation of untreated, and highly pure CTCs after conventional negative selection-based CTC isolation. In the design, six sections of moving light-bar screens were continuously and simultaneously exerted in two parallel laminar flows to concurrently separate the cancer cells from the leukocytes based on their size difference and electric properties. The separated cell populations were further partitioned, delivered, and collected through the two flows. With this approach, the cancer cells can be isolated in a continuous, effective, and efficient manner. In this study, the operating conditions of ODEP for the manipulation of prostate cancer (PC-3) and human oral cancer (OEC-M1) cells, and leukocytes with minor cell aggregation phenomenon were first characterized. Moreover, performances of the proposed method for the isolation of cancer cells were experimentally investigated. The results showed that the presented CTC isolation scheme was able to isolate PC-3 cells or OEC-M1 cells from a leukocyte background with high recovery rate (PC-3 cells: 76-83%, OEC-M1 cells: 61-68%), and high purity (PC-3 cells: 74-82%, OEC-M1 cells: 64-66%) (set flow rate: 0.1 μl min(-1) and sample volume: 1 μl). The latter is beyond what is currently possible in the conventional CTC isolations. Moreover, the viability of isolated cancer cells was evaluated to be as high as 94 ± 2%, and 95 ± 3% for the PC-3, and OEC-M1 cells, respectively. Furthermore, the isolated cancer cells were also shown to preserve their proliferative capability. As a whole, this study has presented an ODEP-based microfluidic platform that is capable of isolating CTCs in a continuous, label-free, cell-friendly, and particularly highly pure manner. All these traits are found particularly meaningful for exploiting the harvested CTCs for the subsequent cell-based, or biochemical assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Bin Huang
- Graduate Institute of Biochemical and Biomedical Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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39
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Rosales-Cruzaley E, Cota-Elizondo PA, Sánchez D, Lapizco-Encinas BH. Sperm cells manipulation employing dielectrophoresis. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 2012; 36:1353-62. [DOI: 10.1007/s00449-012-0838-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2012] [Accepted: 10/03/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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40
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Martinez-Duarte R. Microfabrication technologies in dielectrophoresis applications--a review. Electrophoresis 2012; 33:3110-32. [PMID: 22941778 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201200242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2012] [Revised: 06/10/2012] [Accepted: 06/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
DEP is an established technique for particle manipulation. Although first demonstrated in the 1950s, it was not until the development of miniaturization techniques in the 1990s that DEP became a popular research field. The 1990s saw an explosion of DEP publications using microfabricated metal electrode arrays to sort a wide variety of cells. The concurrent development of microfluidics enabled devices for flow management and better understanding of the interaction between hydrodynamic and electrokinetic forces. Starting in the 2000s, alternative techniques have arisen to overcome common problems in metal-electrode DEP, such as electrode fouling, and to increase the throughput of the system. Insulator-based DEP and light-induced DEP are the most significant examples. Most recently, new 3D techniques such as carbon-electrode DEP, contactless DEP, and the use of doped PDMS have further simplified the fabrication process. The constant desire of the community to develop practical solutions has led to devices which are more user friendly, less expensive, and are capable of higher throughput. The state-of-the-art of fabricating DEP devices is critically reviewed in this work. The focus is on how different fabrication techniques can boost the development of practical DEP devices to be used in different settings such as clinical cell sorting and infection diagnosis, industrial food safety, and enrichment of particle populations for drug development.
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Lai D, Smith GD, Takayama S. Lab-on-a-chip biophotonics: its application to assisted reproductive technologies. JOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS 2012; 5:650-60. [PMID: 22700221 PMCID: PMC3883811 DOI: 10.1002/jbio.201200041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2012] [Revised: 05/15/2012] [Accepted: 05/17/2012] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
With the benefits of automation, sensitivity and precision, microfluidics has enabled complex and otherwise tedious experiments. Lately, lab-on-a-chip (LOC) has proven to be a useful tool for enhancing non-invasive assisted reproductive technology (ART). Non-invasive gamete and embryo assessment has largely been through periodic morpohological assessment using optical microscopy and early LOC ART was the same. As we realize that morphological assessment is a poor indication of gamete or embryo health, more advanced biophotonics has emerged in LOC ART to assay for metabolites or gamete separation via optoelectrical tweezers. Off-chip, even more advanced biophotonics with broad spectrum analysis of metabolites and secretomes has been developed that show even higher accuracy to predicting reproductive potential. The integration of broad spectrum metabolite analysis into LOC ART is an exciting future that merges automation and sensitivity with the already highly accurate and strong predictive power of biophotonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Lai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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42
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Park DS, Egnatchik RA, Bordelon H, Tiersch TR, Monroe WT. Microfluidic mixing for sperm activation and motility analysis of pearl Danio zebrafish. Theriogenology 2012; 78:334-44. [PMID: 22494680 PMCID: PMC3640303 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2012.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2011] [Revised: 02/02/2012] [Accepted: 02/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Sperm viability in aquatic species is increasingly being evaluated by motility analysis via computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) following activation of sperm with manual dilution and mixing by hand. User variation can limit the speed and control over the activation process, preventing consistent motility analysis. This is further complicated by the short interval (i.e., less than 15 s) of burst motility in these species. The objectives of this study were to develop a staggered herringbone microfluidic mixer to: 1) activate small volumes of Danio pearl zebrafish (Danio albolineatus) sperm by rapid mixing with diluent, and 2) position sperm in a viewing chamber for motility evaluation using a standard CASA system. A herringbone micromixer was fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to yield high quality smooth surfaces. Based on fluorescence microscopy, mixing efficiency exceeding 90% was achieved within 5 s for a range of flow rates (from 50 to 250 μL/h), with a correlation of mixing distances and mixing efficiency. For example, at the nominal flow rate of 100 μL/h, there was a significant difference in mixing efficiency between 3.5 mm (75±4%; mean±SD) and 7 mm (92±2%; P=0.002). The PDMS micromixer, integrated with standard volumetric slides, demonstrated activation of fresh zebrafish sperm with reduced user variation, greater control, and without morphologic damage to sperm. Analysis of zebrafish sperm viability by CASA revealed a statistically higher motility rate for activation by micromixing (56±4%) than manual activation (45±7%; n=5, P=0.011). This micromixer represented a first step in streamlining methods for consistent, rapid assessment of sperm quality for zebrafish and other aquatic species. The capability to rapidly activate sperm and consistently measure motility with CASA using the PDMS micromixer described herein will improve studies of germplasm physiology and cryopreservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S. Park
- Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, Louisiana State University and LSU Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Robert A. Egnatchik
- Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, Louisiana State University and LSU Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Hali Bordelon
- Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, Louisiana State University and LSU Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Terrence R. Tiersch
- Aquaculture Research Station, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - W. Todd Monroe
- Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, Louisiana State University and LSU Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
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Kumar A, Williams SJ, Chuang HS, Green NG, Wereley ST. Hybrid opto-electric manipulation in microfluidics-opportunities and challenges. LAB ON A CHIP 2011; 11:2135-48. [PMID: 21603691 DOI: 10.1039/c1lc20208a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid opto-electric manipulation in microfluidics/nanofluidics refers to a set of methodologies employing optical modulation of electrokinetic schemes to achieve particle or fluid manipulation at the micro- and nano-scale. Over the last decade, a set of methodologies, which differ in their modulation strategy and/or the length scale of operation, have emerged. These techniques offer new opportunities with their dynamic nature, and their ability for parallel operation has created novel applications and devices. Hybrid opto-electric techniques have been utilized to manipulate objects ranging in diversity from millimetre-sized droplets to nano-particles. This review article discusses the underlying principles, applications and future perspectives of various hybrid opto-electric techniques that have emerged over the last decade under a unified umbrella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aloke Kumar
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, USA.
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