1
|
Kieda J, Appak-Baskoy S, Jeyhani M, Navi M, Chan KWY, Tsai SSH. Microfluidically-generated Encapsulated Spheroids (μ-GELS): An All-Aqueous Droplet Microfluidics Platform for Multicellular Spheroids Generation. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2023; 9:1043-1052. [PMID: 36626575 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c00963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Spheroids are three-dimensional clusters of cells that serve as in vitro tumor models to recapitulate in vivo morphology. A limitation of many existing on-chip platforms for spheroid formation is the use of cytotoxic organic solvents as the continuous phase in droplet generation processes. All-aqueous methods do not contain cytotoxic organic solvents but have so far been unable to achieve complete hydrogel gelation on chip. Here, we describe an enhanced droplet microfluidic platform that achieves on-chip gelation of all-aqueous hydrogel multicellular spheroids (MCSs). Specifically, we generate dextran-alginate droplets containing MCF-7 breast cancer cells, surrounded by polyethylene glycol, at a flow-focusing junction. Droplets then travel to a second flow-focusing junction where they interact with calcium chloride and gel on chip to form hydrogel MCSs. On-chip gelation of the MCSs is possible here because of an embedded capillary at the second junction that delays the droplet gelation, which prevents channel clogging problems that would otherwise exist. In drug-free experiments, we demonstrate that MCSs remain viable for 6 days. We also confirm the applicability of this system for cancer drug testing by observing that dose-dependent cell death is achievable using doxorubicin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Kieda
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada.,Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada.,Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Technology (iBEST) - A partnership between Toronto Metropolitan University and St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Sila Appak-Baskoy
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada.,Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Technology (iBEST) - A partnership between Toronto Metropolitan University and St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 1W8, Canada.,Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Morteza Jeyhani
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada.,Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Technology (iBEST) - A partnership between Toronto Metropolitan University and St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 1W8, Canada.,Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Maryam Navi
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada.,Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada.,Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Technology (iBEST) - A partnership between Toronto Metropolitan University and St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Katherine W Y Chan
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada.,Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada.,Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Technology (iBEST) - A partnership between Toronto Metropolitan University and St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Scott S H Tsai
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada.,Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada.,Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Technology (iBEST) - A partnership between Toronto Metropolitan University and St. Michael's Hospital, TorontoM5B 1W8, Canada.,Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University, TorontoM5B 2K3, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhang T, Zhang H, Zhou W, Jiang K, Liu C, Wang R, Zhou Y, Zhang Z, Mei Q, Dong WF, Sun M, Li H. One-Step Generation and Purification of Cell-Encapsulated Hydrogel Microsphere With an Easily Assembled Microfluidic Device. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 9:816089. [PMID: 35155414 PMCID: PMC8831896 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.816089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-laden hydrogel microspheres with uniform size show great potential for tissue repair and drug screening applications. Droplet microfluidic systems have been widely used for the generation of cell-laden hydrogel microspheres. However, existing droplet microfluidic systems are mostly based on complex chips and are not compatible with well culture plates. Moreover, microspheres produced by droplet microfluidics need demulsification and purification from oil, which requires time and effort and may compromise cell viability. Herein, we present a simple one-step approach for producing and purifying hydrogel microspheres with an easily assembled microfluidic device. Droplets were generated and solidified in the device tubing. The obtained hydrogel microspheres were then transferred to a tissue culture plate filled with cell culture media and demulsified through evaporation of the oil at 37°C. The removal of oil caused the gelled microspheres to be released into the cell culture media. The encapsulated cells demonstrated good viability and grew into tumor spheroids in 12–14 days. Single cell-laden hydrogel microspheres were also obtained and grown into spheroid in 14 days. This one-step microsphere generation method shows good potential for applications in automated spheroid and organoid cultures as well as drug screening, and could potentially offer benefits for translation of cell/microgel technologies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tao Zhang
- School of Biomedical Engineering (Suzhou), Division of Life Sciences and Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- CAS Key Lab of Bio-Medical Diagnostics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Wen-Fei Dong, ; Minxuan Sun, ; Haiwen Li, ; Tao Zhang,
| | - Hong Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Optics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wuping Zhou
- School of Biomedical Engineering (Suzhou), Division of Life Sciences and Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- CAS Key Lab of Bio-Medical Diagnostics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou, China
| | - Keming Jiang
- School of Biomedical Engineering (Suzhou), Division of Life Sciences and Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- CAS Key Lab of Bio-Medical Diagnostics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou, China
| | - Cong Liu
- CAS Key Lab of Bio-Medical Diagnostics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou, China
| | - Ru Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
| | - Yuanshuai Zhou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Optics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China
| | - Zhiqiang Zhang
- CAS Key Lab of Bio-Medical Diagnostics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou, China
| | - Qian Mei
- CAS Key Lab of Bio-Medical Diagnostics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou, China
| | - Wen-Fei Dong
- School of Biomedical Engineering (Suzhou), Division of Life Sciences and Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- CAS Key Lab of Bio-Medical Diagnostics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Wen-Fei Dong, ; Minxuan Sun, ; Haiwen Li, ; Tao Zhang,
| | - Minxuan Sun
- School of Biomedical Engineering (Suzhou), Division of Life Sciences and Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Optics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Wen-Fei Dong, ; Minxuan Sun, ; Haiwen Li, ; Tao Zhang,
| | - Haiwen Li
- CAS Key Lab of Bio-Medical Diagnostics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Wen-Fei Dong, ; Minxuan Sun, ; Haiwen Li, ; Tao Zhang,
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hong G, Kim J, Oh H, Yun S, Kim CM, Jeong YM, Yun WS, Shim JH, Jang I, Kim CY, Jin S. Production of Multiple Cell-Laden Microtissue Spheroids with a Biomimetic Hepatic-Lobule-Like Structure. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2102624. [PMID: 34286875 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202102624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The construction of an in vitro 3D cellular model to mimic the human liver is highly desired for drug discovery and clinical applications, such as patient-specific treatment and cell-based therapy in regenerative medicine. However, current bioprinting strategies are limited in their ability to generate multiple cell-laden microtissues with biomimetic structures. This study presents a method for producing hepatic-lobule-like microtissue spheroids using a bioprinting system incorporating a precursor cartridge and microfluidic emulsification system. The multiple cell-laden microtissue spheroids can be successfully generated at a speed of approximately 45 spheroids min-1 and with a uniform diameter. Hepatic and endothelial cells are patterned in a microtissue spheroid with the biomimetic structure of a liver lobule. The spheroids allow long-term culture with high cell viability, and the structural integrity is maintained longer than that of non-structured spheroids. Furthermore, structured spheroids show high MRP2, albumin, and CD31 expression levels. In addition, the in vivo study reveals that structured microtissue spheroids are stably engrafted. These results demonstrate that the method provides a valuable 3D structured microtissue spheroid model with lobule-like constructs and liver functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gyusik Hong
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Polytechnic University, 237 Sangidaehak-ro, Siheung-si, 15073, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Kim
- Laboratory Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, 120, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeongkwon Oh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Polytechnic University, 237 Sangidaehak-ro, Siheung-si, 15073, Republic of Korea
| | - Seokhwan Yun
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Polytechnic University, 237 Sangidaehak-ro, Siheung-si, 15073, Republic of Korea
| | - Chul Min Kim
- Department of Mechatronics, Gyeongsang National University, 33, Dongjin-ro, Jinju, 52725, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun-Mi Jeong
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Polytechnic University, 237 Sangidaehak-ro, Siheung-si, 15073, Republic of Korea
| | - Won-Soo Yun
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Polytechnic University, 237 Sangidaehak-ro, Siheung-si, 15073, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute, T&R Biofab. Co. Ltd, 242 Pangyo-ro, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, 13487, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Hyung Shim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Polytechnic University, 237 Sangidaehak-ro, Siheung-si, 15073, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute, T&R Biofab. Co. Ltd, 242 Pangyo-ro, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, 13487, Republic of Korea
| | - Ilho Jang
- Research Institute, T&R Biofab. Co. Ltd, 242 Pangyo-ro, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, 13487, Republic of Korea
| | - C-Yoon Kim
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, 120, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, Republic of Korea
| | - Songwan Jin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Polytechnic University, 237 Sangidaehak-ro, Siheung-si, 15073, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute, T&R Biofab. Co. Ltd, 242 Pangyo-ro, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, 13487, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wang Y, Li Y, Gong J, Ma J. Microfluidic Fabrication of Monodisperse Microcapsules for Thermo-Triggered Release of Liposoluble Drugs. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:polym12102200. [PMID: 32992857 PMCID: PMC7601609 DOI: 10.3390/polym12102200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Here, we report a novel thermo-triggered-releasing microcapsule for liposoluble drug delivery. Monodisperse microcapsules with a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) hydrogel shell and an oil core were successfully fabricated by a double coaxial microfluidic device. Fluorescent dye Lumogen Red F300 as a model liposoluble drug was dissolved in the oil core with controllable loading capacity. The volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of the microcapsule was adjusted by copolymerizing with the hydrophilic methacrylic acid. The in vitro release study demonstrates that the shells shrink, leading to the thermo-triggered release of the model drug from the microcapsules at the environmental temperature above the VPTT, while the swollen hydrogel shells can protect the encapsulated drug from leakage and contamination below the VPTT. The proposed microcapsule is a promising liposoluble drug delivery system with controllable loading and smart thermo-triggered release.
Collapse
|
5
|
|
6
|
Navi M, Abbasi N, Salari A, Tsai SSH. Magnetic water-in-water droplet microfluidics: Systematic experiments and scaling mathematical analysis. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2020; 14:024101. [PMID: 32161632 PMCID: PMC7056455 DOI: 10.1063/1.5144137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
A major barrier to the clinical utilization of microfluidically generated water-in-oil droplets is the cumbersome washing steps required to remove the non-biocompatible organic oil phase from the droplets. In this paper, we report an on-chip magnetic water-in-water droplet generation and manipulation platform using a biocompatible aqueous two-phase system of a polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol-polyethylene glycol triblock copolymer (PEG-PPG-PEG) and dextran (DEX), eliminating the need for subsequent washing steps. By careful selection of a ferrofluid that shows an affinity toward the DEX phase (the dispersed phase in our microfluidic device), we generate magnetic DEX droplets in a non-magnetic continuous phase of PEG-PPG-PEG. We apply an external magnetic field to manipulate the droplets and sort them into different outlets. We also perform scaling analysis to model the droplet deflection and find that the experimental data show good agreement with the model. We expect that this type of all-biocompatible magnetic droplet microfluidic system will find utility in biomedical applications, such as long-term single cell analysis. In addition, the model can be used for designing experimental parameters to achieve a desired droplet trajectory.
Collapse
|
7
|
Mastiani M, Firoozi N, Petrozzi N, Seo S, Kim M. Polymer-Salt Aqueous Two-Phase System (ATPS) Micro-Droplets for Cell Encapsulation. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15561. [PMID: 31664112 PMCID: PMC6820865 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51958-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Biosample encapsulation is a critical step in a wide range of biomedical and bioengineering applications. Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) droplets have been recently introduced and showed a great promise to the biological separation and encapsulation due to their excellent biocompatibility. This study shows for the first time the passive generation of salt-based ATPS microdroplets and their biocompatibility test. We used two ATPS including polymer/polymer (polyethylene glycol (PEG)/dextran (DEX)) and polymer/salt (PEG/Magnesium sulfate) for droplet generation in a flow-focusing geometry. Droplet morphologies and monodispersity in both systems are studied. The PEG/salt system showed an excellent capability of uniform droplet formation with a wide range of sizes (20-60 μm) which makes it a suitable candidate for encapsulation of biological samples. Therefore, we examined the potential application of the PEG/salt system for encapsulating human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). A cell viability test was conducted on MgSO4 solutions at various concentrations and our results showed an adequate cell survival. The findings of this research suggest that the polymer/salt ATPS could be a biocompatible all-aqueous platform for cell encapsulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Mastiani
- Center for Biosignatures Discovery Automation, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Negar Firoozi
- Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA
| | - Nicholas Petrozzi
- Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA
| | - Seokju Seo
- Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA
| | - Myeongsub Kim
- Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Mastiani M, Seo S, Riou B, Kim M. High inertial microfluidics for droplet generation in a flow-focusing geometry. Biomed Microdevices 2019; 21:50. [DOI: 10.1007/s10544-019-0405-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
|
9
|
Zeng W, Fu H. Precise measurement and control of the pressure‐driven flows for microfluidic systems. Electrophoresis 2019; 41:852-859. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201900103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Wen Zeng
- Department of Fluid Control and AutomationHarbin Institute of Technology Harbin P. R. China
| | - Hai Fu
- Department of Fluid Control and AutomationHarbin Institute of Technology Harbin P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Navi M, Abbasi N, Jeyhani M, Gnyawali V, Tsai SSH. Microfluidic diamagnetic water-in-water droplets: a biocompatible cell encapsulation and manipulation platform. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:3361-3370. [PMID: 30375625 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00867a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics enables cellular encapsulation for biomedical applications such as single-cell analysis, which is an important tool used by biologists to study cells on a single-cell level, and understand cellular heterogeneity in cell populations. However, most cell encapsulation strategies in microfluidics rely on random encapsulation processes, resulting in large numbers of empty droplets. Therefore, post-sorting of droplets is necessary to obtain samples of purely cell-encapsulating droplets. With the recent advent of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) as a biocompatible alternative of the conventional water-in-oil droplet systems for cellular encapsulation, there has also been a focus on integrating ATPS with droplet microfluidics. In this paper, we describe a new technique that combines ATPS-based water-in-water droplets with diamagnetic manipulation to isolate single-cell encapsulating water-in-water droplets, and achieve a purity of 100% in a single pass. We exploit the selective partitioning of ferrofluid in an ATPS of polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol-polyethylene glycol triblock copolymer (PEG-PPG-PEG) and dextran (DEX), to achieve diamagnetic manipulation of water-in-water droplets. A cell-triggered Rayleigh-Plateau instability in the dispersed phase thread results in a size distinction between the cell-encapsulating and empty droplets, enabling diamagnetic separation and sorting of the cell-encapsulating droplets from empty droplets. This is a simple and biocompatible all-aqueous platform for single-cell encapsulation and droplet manipulation, with applications in single-cell analysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Navi
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Stadler B. Preface to Special Topic: Microfluidics in Drug Delivery. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2015; 9:052501. [PMID: 26421086 PMCID: PMC4575325 DOI: 10.1063/1.4931070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
In this special topic of Biomicrofluidics, the importance of microfluidics in the field of drug delivery is highlighted. Different aspects from cell-drug carrier interactions, delivery vehicle assembly to novel drug delivery devices are considered. The contributing reviews and original articles illustrate the synergistic outcomes between these two areas of research with the aim to have a positive impact on biomedical applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte Stadler
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University , Aarhus, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Fan R, Naqvi K, Patel K, Sun J, Wan J. Evaporation-based microfluidic production of oil-free cell-containing hydrogel particles. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2015; 9:052602. [PMID: 25825624 PMCID: PMC4376759 DOI: 10.1063/1.4916508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 02/27/2015] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate an evaporation-based microfluidic strategy to produce oil-free cell containing hydrogel particles. Perfluoro-n-pentane, which is used as the continuous oil phase to generate cell-containing hydrogel (Extracel) particles, is removed at an elevated temperature. Human colon cancer cells (HCT116) encapsulated in the hydrogel particles show higher viability than cells encapsulated in particles that are produced via a non-evaporative oil phase. In addition, single HCT116 cells can be cultured for a week in such particles and respond to inflammatory stimuli, highlighting the potential applications of the developed strategy for 3D cell culture, drug testing, and cell-based drug delivery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rong Fan
- Microsystems Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, New York 14623, USA
| | - Kubra Naqvi
- College of Science, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, New York 14623, USA
| | - Krishna Patel
- Webster Schroeder High School , Webster, New York 14580, USA
| | - Jun Sun
- Department of Biochemistry, Rush University , Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA
| | - Jiandi Wan
- Microsystems Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, New York 14623, USA
| |
Collapse
|