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Huang C, Yang J, Chen S, Han SI, Zhang H, Samuel J, Van Schaik E, de Figueiredo P, Han A. μREACT: A microfluidic system for rapid evaluation of trans-kingdom interactions. Biosens Bioelectron 2024; 267:116838. [PMID: 39393191 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116838] [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: 07/20/2024] [Revised: 09/17/2024] [Accepted: 10/03/2024] [Indexed: 10/13/2024]
Abstract
Trans-kingdom interactions between cells play pivotal roles in shaping intricate ecological and biological networks. However, our grasp of these interactions remains incomplete. Specifically, the vast phylogenetic spectrum of microorganisms capable of interacting with a given host cell type remains obscure, primarily due to the absence of efficient, high-throughput, single-cell resolution systems that can rapidly decipher these interactions. Here, we introduce μREACT (Microfluidic system for Rapid Evaluation of bacterial Adherence and Communication in Trans-kingdom interactions), a microfluidic system designed to analyze interkingdom interactions. μREACT not only unveiled both recognized and previously unknown interactions but also enabled their detailed characterization. The system features the use of microfluidic dielectrophoretic separation of bacteria that adhere to host cells at single-cell (digital) resolution, and enabled the sorting of 107 adherent microorganisms per hour, representing a comparable throughput to conventional flow cytometry systems, but without requiring any labeling. The analysis of soil microbial samples using μREACT revealed several bacterial species previously known to have high adherence to mammalian host cells, as well as new interactions involving strains that displayed hallmarks of emerging endosymbiosis. Taken together, μREACT serves as a formidable tool for identifying and characterizing webs of interkingdom interactions. Its implications extend beyond discovery of such interactions, where it has the potential to provide new insights into fundamental mechanisms driving ecosystem dynamics and biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Huang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Shaorong Chen
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Song-I Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Han Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - James Samuel
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Erin Van Schaik
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Christopher S Bond Life Sciences Center, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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Hu S, Wang Y, Wang Y, Chen X, Tong R. Dielectrophoretic separation and purification: From colloid and biological particles to droplets. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1731:465155. [PMID: 39032216 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.465155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 07/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
It is indispensable to realize the high level of purification and separation, so that objective particles, such as malignant cells, harmful bacteria, and special proteins or biological molecules, could satisfy the high precise measurement in the pharmaceutical analysis, clinical diagnosis, targeted therapy, and food defense. In addition, this could reveal the intrinsic nature and evolution mechanisms of individual biological variations. Consequently, many techniques related to optical tweezers, microfluidics, acoustophoresis, and electrokinetics can be broadly used to achieve micro- and nano-scale particle separations. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) has been used for various manipulation, concentration, transport, and separation processes of biological particles owing to its early development, mature theory, low cost, and high throughput. Although numerous reviews have discussed the biological applications of DEP techniques, comprehensive descriptions of micro- and nano-scale particle separations feature less frequently in the literature. Therefore, this review summarizes the current state of particle separation attention to relevant technological developments and innovation, including theoretical simulation, microchannel structure, electrode material, pattern and its layout. Moreover, a brief overview of separation applications using DEP in combination with other technologies is also provided. Finally, conclusions, future guidelines, and suggestions for potential promotion are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Hu
- College of Information Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Micro-Nano Precision Optical Sensing and Measurement Technology, Qinhuangdao, 066004, China.
| | - Yangcheng Wang
- College of Information Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yanzhe Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Micro-Nano Precision Optical Sensing and Measurement Technology, Qinhuangdao, 066004, China
| | - Xiaoming Chen
- College of Information Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Micro-Nano Precision Optical Sensing and Measurement Technology, Qinhuangdao, 066004, China
| | - Ruijie Tong
- College of Information Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Micro-Nano Precision Optical Sensing and Measurement Technology, Qinhuangdao, 066004, China
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Mika T, Kalnins M, Spalvins K. The use of droplet-based microfluidic technologies for accelerated selection of Yarrowia lipolytica and Phaffia rhodozyma yeast mutants. Biol Methods Protoc 2024; 9:bpae049. [PMID: 39114747 PMCID: PMC11303513 DOI: 10.1093/biomethods/bpae049] [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: 05/11/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms are widely used for the industrial production of various valuable products, such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, biofuels, enzymes, amino acids, vaccines, etc. Research is constantly carried out to improve their properties, mainly to increase their productivity and efficiency and reduce the cost of the processes. The selection of microorganisms with improved qualities takes a lot of time and resources (both human and material); therefore, this process itself needs optimization. In the last two decades, microfluidics technology appeared in bioengineering, which allows for manipulating small particles (from tens of microns to nanometre scale) in the flow of liquid in microchannels. The technology is based on small-volume objects (microdroplets from nano to femtolitres), which are manipulated using a microchip. The chip is made of an optically transparent inert to liquid medium material and contains a series of channels of small size (<1 mm) of certain geometry. Based on the physical and chemical properties of microparticles (like size, weight, optical density, dielectric constant, etc.), they are separated using microsensors. The idea of accelerated selection of microorganisms is the application of microfluidic technologies to separate mutants with improved qualities after mutagenesis. This article discusses the possible application and practical implementation of microfluidic separation of mutants, including yeasts like Yarrowia lipolytica and Phaffia rhodozyma after chemical mutagenesis will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taras Mika
- Institute of Energy Systems and Environment, Riga Technical University, 12 – K1 Āzene street, Riga, LV-1048, Latvia
| | - Martins Kalnins
- Institute of Energy Systems and Environment, Riga Technical University, 12 – K1 Āzene street, Riga, LV-1048, Latvia
| | - Kriss Spalvins
- Institute of Energy Systems and Environment, Riga Technical University, 12 – K1 Āzene street, Riga, LV-1048, Latvia
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Huang C, Guo F, Wang H, Olivares J, Dalton Iii J, Belyanina O, Wattam AR, Cucinell CA, Dickerman AW, Qin QM, Han A, de Figueiredo P. An automated system for interrogating the evolution of microbial endosymbiosis. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:671-683. [PMID: 36227118 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00602b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Inter-kingdom endosymbiotic interactions between bacteria and eukaryotic cells are critical to human health and disease. However, the molecular mechanisms that drive the emergence of endosymbiosis remain obscure. Here, we describe the development of a microfluidic system, named SEER (S̲ystem for the E̲volution of E̲ndosymbiotic R̲elationships), that automates the evolutionary selection of bacteria with enhanced intracellular survival and persistence within host cells, hallmarks of endosymbiosis. Using this system, we show that a laboratory strain of Escherichia coli that initially possessed limited abilities to survive within host cells, when subjected to SEER selection, rapidly evolved to display a 55-fold enhancement in intracellular survival. Notably, molecular dissection of the evolved strains revealed that a single-point mutation in a flexible loop of CpxR, a gene regulator that controls bacterial stress responses, substantially contributed to this intracellular survival. Taken together, these results establish SEER as the first microfluidic system for investigating the evolution of endosymbiosis, show the importance of CpxR in endosymbiosis, and set the stage for evolving bespoke inter-kingdom endosymbiotic systems with novel or emergent properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Huang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Fengguang Guo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Han Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Jasmine Olivares
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77843, USA.
| | - James Dalton Iii
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Olga Belyanina
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Alice R Wattam
- Biocomplexity Institute and Initiative, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Clark A Cucinell
- Biocomplexity Institute and Initiative, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Allan W Dickerman
- Biocomplexity Institute and Initiative, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Qing-Ming Qin
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77843, USA.
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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Huang C, Han SI, Zhang H, Han A. Tutorial on Lateral Dielectrophoretic Manipulations in Microfluidic Systems. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS 2023; 17:21-32. [PMID: 37015136 PMCID: PMC10091972 DOI: 10.1109/tbcas.2022.3226675] [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] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems can offer cost- and time-efficient biological assays by providing high-throughput analysis at very small volume scale. Among these extremely broad ranges of assays, accurate and specific cell and reagent control is considered one of the most important functions. Dielectrophoretic (DEP)-based manipulation technologies have been extensively developed for these purposes due to their label-free and high selectivity natures as well as due to their simple microstructures. Here, we provide a tutorial on how to develop DEP-based microfluidic systems, including a detailed walkthrough of dielectrophoresis theory, instruction on how to conduct simulation and calculation of electric field and generated DEP force, followed with guidance on microfabricating two forms of DEP microfluidic systems, namely lateral DEP and droplet DEP, and how best to conduct experiments in such systems. Finally, we summarize most recent DEP-based microfluidic technologies and applications, including systems for blood diagnoses, pathogenicity studies, in-droplet content manipulations, droplet manipulations and merging, to name a few. We conclude by suggesting possible future directions on how DEP-based technologies can be utilized to overcome current challenges and improve the current status in microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems.
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Dai J, Huang C, Zhang H, Samuel R, Li Y, Jayaraman A, de Figueiredo P, Han A. Microfluidic Dielectrophoretic Method Enables On-Demand Spatial Arrangement of Bacteria-Encapsulated Agarose Gel Microparticles. Anal Chem 2022; 94:13197-13204. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c02724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Dai
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Can Huang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Han Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Ryan Samuel
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Yuwen Li
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Arul Jayaraman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas 77807, United States
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
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Zhang H, Huang C, Li Y, Gupte R, Samuel R, Dai J, Guzman A, Sabnis R, de Figueiredo P, Han A. FIDELITY: A quality control system for droplet microfluidics. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabc9108. [PMID: 35857442 PMCID: PMC9269891 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc9108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidic systems have been widely deployed to interrogate biological and chemical systems. The major limitations of these systems are the relatively high error rates from critical droplet manipulation functions. To address these limitations, we describe the development of FIDELITY (Flotation and Interdigitated electrode forces on Droplets to Enable Lasting system IntegriTY), a highly sensitive and accurate size-based droplet bandpass filter that leverages the natural buoyancy of aqueous droplets and highly localized dielectrophoretic force generated by interdigitated electrode arrays. Droplet manipulation accuracies greater than 99% were achieved at a throughput of up to 100 droplets/s and separation of droplets that differed in diameter by only 6 μm was demonstrated. Last, the utility of FIDELITY was demonstrated in a droplet size quality control application and also in a droplet-based in vitro transcription/translation workflow. We anticipate FIDELITY to be integrated into a broad range of droplet microfluidic configurations to achieve exceptional operational accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Can Huang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Yuwen Li
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Rohit Gupte
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Ryan Samuel
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Jing Dai
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Adrian Guzman
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Rushant Sabnis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Corresponding author.
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Li Y, Huang C, Han SI, Han A. Measurement of dielectric properties of cells at single-cell resolution using electrorotation. Biomed Microdevices 2022; 24:23. [PMID: 35771277 DOI: 10.1007/s10544-022-00621-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Dielectric properties of a cell are biophysical properties of high interest for various applications. However, measuring these properties accurately is not easy, which can be exemplified by the large variations in reported dielectric properties of the same cell types. This paper presents a method for measuring the dielectric properties of cells at high frequency, especially lipid-producing microalgae, at single-cell resolution, by integrating an electrorotation-based dielectric property measurement method with a negative dielectrophoretic (nDEP) force-based single-cell trapping method into a single device. In this method, a four-electrode nDEP structure was used to trap a single cell in an elevated position in the center of another four-electrode structure that can apply electrorotational force. By measuring the speed of cell rotation under different applied electrorotation frequencies and fitting the results into a theoretical core-shell cell model, the dielectric properties of cells, including membrane capacitance and cytoplasm conductivity, could be obtained. This system was applied to measure the dielectric properties of lipid-accumulating microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strain Sta6 by applying an electrorotation signal of up to 100 MHz. By utilizing a broad frequency range and expanding the measurement spectra to a high frequency region, increased accuracy in fitting the dielectric parameters to a theoretical model was possible, especially the cytoplasm conductivity. The developed method can be used in various applications, such as screening microalgae based on their lipid production capabilities, separating cells of different dielectric properties, identifying different cell types, as well as conducting basic biophysical analyses of cellular properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuwen Li
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Can Huang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Song-I Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA. .,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA. .,Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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Chen T, Huang C, Wang Y, Wu J. Microfluidic methods for cell separation and subsequent analysis. CHINESE CHEM LETT 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2021.07.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Michaels M, Yu SY, Zhou T, Du F, Al Faruque MA, Kulinsky L. Artificial Intelligence Algorithms Enable Automated Characterization of the Positive and Negative Dielectrophoretic Ranges of Applied Frequency. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:399. [PMID: 35334691 PMCID: PMC8949608 DOI: 10.3390/mi13030399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The present work describes the phenomenological approach to automatically determine the frequency range for positive and negative dielectrophoresis (DEP)-an electrokinetic force that can be used for massively parallel micro- and nano-assembly. An experimental setup consists of the microfabricated chip with gold microelectrode array connected to a function generator capable of digitally controlling an AC signal of 1 V (peak-to-peak) and of various frequencies in the range between 10 kHz and 1 MHz. The suspension of latex microbeads (3-μm diameter) is either attracted or repelled from the microelectrodes under the influence of DEP force as a function of the applied frequency. The video of the bead movement is captured via a digital camera attached to the microscope. The OpenCV software package is used to digitally analyze the images and identify the beads. Positions of the identified beads are compared for successive frames via Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithm that determines the cloud behavior of the microbeads and algorithmically determines if the beads experience attraction or repulsion from the electrodes. Based on the determined behavior of the beads, algorithm will either increase or decrease the applied frequency and implement the digital command of the function generator that is controlled by the computer. Thus, the operation of the study platform is fully automated. The AI-guided platform has determined that positive DEP (pDEP) is active below 500 kHz frequency, negative DEP (nDEP) is evidenced above 1 MHz frequency and the crossover frequency is between 500 kHz and 1 MHz. These results are in line with previously published experimentally determined frequency-dependent DEP behavior of the latex microbeads. The phenomenological approach assisted by live AI-guided feedback loop described in the present study will assist the active manipulation of the system towards the desired phenomenological outcome such as, for example, collection of the particles at the electrodes, even if, due to the complexity and plurality of the interactive forces, model-based predictions are not available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Michaels
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California Irvine, 5200 Engineering Hall, Irvine, CA 92627-2700, USA; (M.M.); (T.Z.)
- Department of Materials and Manufacturing Technology, University of California Irvine, 5200 Engineering Hall, Irvine, CA 92627-2700, USA
| | - Shih-Yuan Yu
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California Irvine, 2200 Engineering Hall, Irvine, CA 92627-2700, USA; (S.-Y.Y.); (F.D.)
| | - Tuo Zhou
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California Irvine, 5200 Engineering Hall, Irvine, CA 92627-2700, USA; (M.M.); (T.Z.)
- Department of Materials and Manufacturing Technology, University of California Irvine, 5200 Engineering Hall, Irvine, CA 92627-2700, USA
| | - Fangzhou Du
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California Irvine, 2200 Engineering Hall, Irvine, CA 92627-2700, USA; (S.-Y.Y.); (F.D.)
| | - Mohammad Abdullah Al Faruque
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California Irvine, 5200 Engineering Hall, Irvine, CA 92627-2700, USA; (M.M.); (T.Z.)
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California Irvine, 2200 Engineering Hall, Irvine, CA 92627-2700, USA; (S.-Y.Y.); (F.D.)
| | - Lawrence Kulinsky
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California Irvine, 5200 Engineering Hall, Irvine, CA 92627-2700, USA; (M.M.); (T.Z.)
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Xu M, Lee PVS, Collins DJ. Microfluidic acoustic sawtooth metasurfaces for patterning and separation using traveling surface acoustic waves. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 22:90-99. [PMID: 34860222 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00711d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate a sawtooth-based metasurface approach for flexibly orienting acoustic fields in a microfluidic device driven by surface acoustic waves (SAW), where sub-wavelength channel features can be used to arbitrarily steer acoustic fringes in a microchannel. Compared to other acoustofluidic methods, only a single travelling wave is used, the fluidic pressure field is decoupled from the fluid domain's shape, and steerable pressure fields are a function of a simply constructed polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) metasurface shape. Our results are relevant to microfluidic applications including the patterning, concentration, focusing, and separation of microparticles and cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxin Xu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Peter V S Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - David J Collins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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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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Huang C, Zhang H, Han SI, Han A. Cell Washing and Solution Exchange in Droplet Microfluidic Systems. Anal Chem 2021; 93:8622-8630. [PMID: 34110770 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c01558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Water-in-oil emulsion droplet microfluidic systems have been extensively developed, and currently, almost all cell handling steps can be conducted in this format. An exception is the cell washing and solution exchange step, which is commonly utilized in many conventional cell assays. This paper presents an in-droplet cell washing and solution exchange technology that utilizes dielectrophoretic (DEP) force to move all cells to one side of a droplet, followed by asymmetrical splitting of the droplet to obtain a small daughter droplet that contains all or most of the cells, and then finally merges this cell-concentrated droplet with a new droplet that contains the desired solution. These sequential droplet manipulation steps were integrated into a single platform, where up to 88% of the original solution in the droplet could be exchanged with the new solution while keeping cell loss to less than 5%. Two application examples were demonstrated using the developed technology. In the first example, green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells were manipulated using negative DEP force to exchange the regular culture medium with a nitrogen-limited medium to induce lipid production. In the second example, Salmonella enterica cells were manipulated using positive DEP force to replace fluorescent dye that models fluorescent cell stains that contribute to high background noise in fluorescence-based droplet content detection with fresh buffer solution, significantly improving the droplet content detection sensitivity. Since the cell washing step is one of the most frequently utilized steps in many cell biology assays, we expect that the developed technology can significantly broaden the type of assay that can be conducted in droplet microfluidic format.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Huang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Han Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Song-I Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
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15
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Sun H, Ren Y, Tao Y, Jiang T, Jiang H. Flexible online in-droplet cell/synthetic particle concentration utilizing alternating current electrothermal-flow field-effect transistor. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 21:1987-1997. [PMID: 34008589 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc01328e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cell/particle concentration inside droplets holds great potential in extending lab-in-a-droplet applications, typically ranging from biological and chemical assays. Herein, we present a universal, massive and versatile technique, namely, alternating current electrothermal-flow field-effect transistor (ACET-FFET) to accomplish in-droplet cell/synthetic particle concentration on demand. Three parallel planar electrodes are utilized to generate an artificially reorderable electric field inside droplets by tuning the gate voltage through field-effect control, which results in a reshapable ACET-based microvortices pattern for in-droplet concentration. A downstream Y-shaped junction promotes the mother droplet splitting into two daughter droplets containing highly and poorly concentrated cells/particles, respectively. Fluorescent polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles are used to characterize the variations of ACET-microvortices flow pattern formation within droplets. Moreover, the concentration performance is demonstrated using PS microparticles and Neurospora crassa cells. We show that particles/cells can flexibly accumulate into any daughter droplet or be equally concentrated in both daughter droplets by conveniently regulating the gate voltage. The highly concentrated cells at the entrance of the concentrator show an instantaneous response performance to the external electric field. Further, online simultaneous particle synthesis and concentration inside droplets are proposed and implemented for the first time, demonstrated by efficient in-droplet micromixing and Prussian blue (PB) reaction. The accompanying synthetic PB particles are highly concentrated into either daughter droplet, thereby extending the versatility of the platform. The presented in-droplet concentration strategy, together with its unique features of simple geometric configuration, facile operation and broad applicability can broaden utility in droplet microfluidics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haizhen Sun
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150001.
| | - Yukun Ren
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150001. and State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150001
| | - Ye Tao
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150001.
| | - Tianyi Jiang
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150001.
| | - Hongyuan Jiang
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150001.
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16
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Rezaei B, Moghimi Zand M, Javidi R. Numerical simulation of critical particle size in asymmetrical deterministic lateral displacement. J Chromatogr A 2021; 1649:462216. [PMID: 34034107 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2021.462216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidics devices are widely used for particle separation. Deterministic Lateral Displacement (DLD) is a passive method for particle separation. DLD devices mainly separate particles based on their sizes. There are two main modes of movement in DLD arrays; the small particles move in a zigzag path, and the larger particles separate in the displacement mode. It is therefore important to estimate the critical particle size for the transition of modes before the fabrication of DLD devices. Asymmetry in the design of the arrays can affect the fluid behavior and the critical particle size. In this study, we investigate the effects of the asymmetry caused by changing the downstream gap size to the lateral gap size ratio on the fluid behavior and particle trajectories in DLD devices. We used two dimensional (2D) Finite Element Method (FEM) to study the variations in the flow lane's widths and combined the fluid analysis with structural mechanics to model the contact between the particles and the posts in DLD arrays. We simulated the spherical particles' trajectories with diameters ranging from 1.4 to 19.2 μm in circular post DLD arrays with a lateral gap size of 20μm. In contrast to the previous works, in these simulations, the effect of particle movement on the fluid flow profiles was considered. We evaluated the particle movement mode in seven different values of the downstream gap size to the lateral gap size ratio (ranging from 0.5 to 2) and eight different row shift fraction (ranging from 0.025 to 0.3). Our simulations showed that increasing the value of the downstream gap while the lateral gap is fixed increases the veering flow rate and width. By finding the particle with the largest diameter in the zigzag mode and the particle with the smallest diameter in the displacement mode, we estimated the critical particle diameter for each value of shift fraction in different values of the downstream gap to the lateral gap size ratio. Using these data, a curve was fitted for predicting the critical particle diameter in each ratio. Finally, a more general form of the formula for the critical particle diameter was proposed, which considers an extra parameter compared to the previous ones. The results of this study can lead to a better understanding of DLD devices' functions and, thus, save time and costs for better designs and experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behnam Rezaei
- Small Medical Devices, BioMEMS & LoC Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran 11155-463, Iran
| | - Mahdi Moghimi Zand
- Small Medical Devices, BioMEMS & LoC Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran 11155-463, Iran.
| | - Reza Javidi
- Small Medical Devices, BioMEMS & LoC Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran 11155-463, Iran
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17
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Huang C, Wippold JA, Stratis-Cullum D, Han A. Eliminating air bubble in microfluidic systems utilizing integrated in-line sloped microstructures. Biomed Microdevices 2020; 22:76. [PMID: 33090275 DOI: 10.1007/s10544-020-00529-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In most microfluidic systems, formation and accumulation of air and other gas bubbles can be detrimental to their operation. Air bubbles in a microfluidic channel induce a pressure profile fluctuation and therefore disturb the stability of the system. Once an air bubble is generated, it is also extremely difficult to remove such bubbles from the microfluidic systems. In tissue and cell culture microfluidic systems, a single air bubble can completely shear off cells that are being cultured. Air bubbles can be especially problematic in microfluidic systems that have to operate for long periods of time, since completely eliminating the generation of air bubbles for prolonged periods of time, where a single air bubble can ruin an entire multi-day/multi-week experiment, is extremely challenging. Several in-line and off-chip bubble traps have been developed so far, but cannot completely eliminate air bubbles from the system or are relatively difficult to integrate into microfluidic systems. Recent advancements in two-photon polymerization (2PP)-based microfabrication method eliminates the restriction in Z-axis control in conventional two-dimensional microfabrication methods, and thus enables complex 3D structures to be fabricated at sub-micrometer resolution. In this work, by utilizing this 2PP technique, we developed a sloped microfluidic structure that is capable of both trapping and real-time removal of air bubbles from the system in a consistent and reliable manner. The novel structures and designs developed in this work present a unique opportunity to overcome many limitations of current methods, bring state-of-the-art solutions in air bubble removal, and enable a multifunctional microfluidic device to operate seamlessly free from air bubble disruption. The microfabricated system was tested in both droplet microfluidics and continuous-flow microfluidics applications, and demonstrated to be effective in preventing air bubble aggregation over time. This simple sloped microstructure can be easily integrated into broad ranges of microfluidic devices to minimize bubble introduction, which will contribute to creating a stable and bubble-free microfluidic platform amenable for long-term operation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Huang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Jose A Wippold
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | | | - Arum Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
- Faculty of Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, USA.
- Faculty of Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, College Station, TX, USA.
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