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Yan W, Li X, Zhao D, Xie M, Li T, Qian L, Ye C, Shi T, Wu L, Wang Y. Advanced strategies in high-throughput droplet screening for enzyme engineering. Biosens Bioelectron 2024; 248:115972. [PMID: 38171222 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115972] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Enzymes, as biocatalysts, play a cumulatively important role in environmental purification and industrial production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals. However, natural enzymes are limited by their physiological properties in practice, which need to be modified driven by requirements. Screening and isolating certain enzyme variants or ideal industrial strains with high yielding of target product enzymes is one of the main directions of enzyme engineering research. Droplet-based high-throughput screening (DHTS) technology employs massive monodisperse emulsion droplets as microreactors to achieve single strain encapsulation, as well as continuous monitoring for the inside mutant library. It can effectively sort out strains or enzymes with desired characteristics, offering a throughput of 108 events per hour. Much of the early literature focused on screening various engineered strains or designing signalling sorting strategies based on DHTS technology. However, the field of enzyme engineering lacks a comprehensive overview of advanced methods for microfluidic droplets and their cutting-edge developments in generation and manipulation. This review emphasizes the advanced strategies and frontiers of microfluidic droplet generation and manipulation facilitating enzyme engineering development. We also introduce design for various screening signals that cooperate with DHTS and devote to enzyme engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxin Yan
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
| | - Xiang Li
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
| | - Danshan Zhao
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
| | - Meng Xie
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
| | - Ting Li
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
| | - Lu Qian
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
| | - Chao Ye
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of NSLSCS, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.
| | - Tianqiong Shi
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.
| | - Lina Wu
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China; Food Laboratory of Zhongyuan, Luohe, 462300, Henan, China.
| | - Yuetong Wang
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.
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2
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Mesyngier N, Bailey RC. Multiparametric, Label-Free Analysis of Microfluidic Droplets via a Dynamic Phase Grating Approach. Anal Chem 2023; 95:12605-12612. [PMID: 37585356 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c05102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Droplet-based microfluidic systems possess many fundamental advantages as a platform for the analysis of chemical and biological species. However, whereas on-chip operations have rapidly developed over the past decades, approaches for analyzing target molecules within droplets have largely remained limited to methods requiring bulky and expensive instrumentation. In this work, we describe a droplet analysis approach whereby the droplet train itself is the sensing construct. Specifically, the droplet train is interrogated as a transmission phase grating, allowing high-throughput, label-free, solution-phase, and multi-parametric analysis of droplet contents. Importantly, three distinct properties of generated droplets can be simultaneously extracted using this conceptually simple and experimentally straightforward measurement approach. Under constant droplet generation conditions, measurement of droplet viscosity is achieved by monitoring changes in zero order to first order peak separation in the far-field diffraction pattern, with a sensitivity of 2.28 × 10-4 cSt per μm change in peak separation. In parallel, measurement of droplet refractive index (RI) is achieved by measuring changes in the ratio of the zero order to first order peak intensity, with a sensitivity of 2.14 × 10-4 RI units per unit change in a diffracted peak intensity ratio. Finally, droplet generation frequency is determined from the time-varying oscillation of the peak height ratio, yielding comparable results to an expensive high-speed camera commonly used for droplet imaging. Importantly, the experimental strategy for this approach is straightforward and does not require expensive instrumentation; therefore, it may find utility in affordable and portable analysis approaches applied to diverse droplet microfluidic assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Mesyngier
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Ryan C Bailey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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3
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Delianides CA, Pourang S, Hernandez S, Disharoon D, Ahuja SP, Neal MD, Gupta AS, Mohseni P, Suster MA. A Multichannel Portable Platform With Embedded Thermal Management for Miniaturized Dielectric Blood Coagulometry. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS 2023; 17:843-856. [PMID: 37399149 DOI: 10.1109/tbcas.2023.3291875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
This article presents a standalone, multichannel, miniaturized impedance analyzer (MIA) system for dielectric blood coagulometry measurements with a microfluidic sensor termed ClotChip. The system incorporates a front-end interface board for 4-channel impedance measurements at an excitation frequency of 1 MHz, an integrated resistive heater formed by a pair of printed-circuit board (PCB) traces to keep the blood sample near a physiologic temperature of 37 °C, a software-defined instrument module for signal generation and data acquisition, and a Raspberry Pi-based embedded computer with 7-inch touchscreen display for signal processing and user interface. When measuring fixed test impedances across all four channels, the MIA system exhibits an excellent agreement with a benchtop impedance analyzer, with rms errors of ≤0.30% over a capacitance range of 47-330 pF and ≤0.35% over a conductance range of 2.13-10 mS. Using in vitro-modified human whole blood samples, the two ClotChip output parameters, namely, the time to reach a permittivity peak (Tpeak) and maximum change in permittivity after the peak (Δϵr,max) are assessed by the MIA system and benchmarked against the corresponding parameters of a rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) assay. Tpeak exhibits a very strong positive correlation (r = 0.98, p < 10-6, n = 20) with the ROTEM clotting time (CT) parameter, while Δϵr,max exhibits a very strong positive correlation (r = 0.92, p < 10-6, n = 20) with the ROTEM maximum clot firmness (MCF) parameter. This work shows the potential of the MIA system as a standalone, multichannel, portable platform for comprehensive assessment of hemostasis at the point-of-care/point-of-injury (POC/POI).
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4
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Jiang R, Yoo P, Sudarshana AM, Pelegri-O'Day E, Chhabra S, Mock M, Lee AP. Microfluidic viscometer by acoustic streaming transducers. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:2577-2585. [PMID: 37133350 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00101f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Measurement of fluid viscosity represents a huge need for many biomedical and materials processing applications. Sample fluids containing DNA, antibodies, protein-based drugs, and even cells have become important therapeutic options. The physical properties, including viscosity, of these biologics are critical factors in the optimization of the biomanufacturing processes and delivery of therapeutics to patients. Here we demonstrate an acoustic microstreaming platform termed as microfluidic viscometer by acoustic streaming transducers (μVAST) that induces fluid transport from second-order microstreaming to measure viscosity. Validation of our platform is achieved with different glycerol content mixtures to reflect different viscosities and shows that viscosity can be estimated based on the maximum speed of the second-order acoustic microstreaming. The μVAST platform requires only a small volume of fluid sample (∼1.2 μL), which is 16-30 times smaller than that of commercial viscometers. In addition, μVAST can be scaled up for ultra-high throughput measurements of viscosity. Here we demonstrate 16 samples within 3 seconds, which is an attractive feature for automating the process flows in drug development and materials manufacturing and production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoyu Jiang
- Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Paul Yoo
- Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | | | - Emma Pelegri-O'Day
- Amgen Research, Biologics Therapeutic Discovery, 1 Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, California 91320, USA
| | - Sandeep Chhabra
- Amgen Research, Biologics Therapeutic Discovery, 1 Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, California 91320, USA
| | - Marissa Mock
- Amgen Research, Biologics Therapeutic Discovery, 1 Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, California 91320, USA
| | - Abraham P Lee
- Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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5
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Kang YJ. Quantification of Blood Viscoelasticity under Microcapillary Blood Flow. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:814. [PMID: 37421047 PMCID: PMC10146691 DOI: 10.3390/mi14040814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Blood elasticity is quantified using a single compliance model by analyzing pulsatile blood flow. However, one compliance coefficient is influenced substantially by the microfluidic system (i.e., soft microfluidic channels and flexible tubing). The novelty of the present method comes from the assessment of two distinct compliance coefficients, one for the sample and one for the microfluidic system. With two compliance coefficients, the viscoelasticity measurement can be disentangled from the influence of the measurement device. In this study, a coflowing microfluidic channel was used to estimate blood viscoelasticity. Two compliance coefficients were suggested to denote the effects of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) channel and flexible tubing (C1), as well as those of the RBC (red blood cell) elasticity (C2), in a microfluidic system. On the basis of the fluidic circuit modeling technique, a governing equation for the interface in the coflowing was derived, and its analytical solution was obtained by solving the second-order differential equation. Using the analytic solution, two compliance coefficients were obtained via a nonlinear curve fitting technique. According to the experimental results, C2/C1 is estimated to be approximately 10.9-20.4 with respect to channel depth (h = 4, 10, and 20 µm). The PDMS channel depth contributed simultaneously to the increase in the two compliance coefficients, whereas the outlet tubing caused a decrease in C1. The two compliance coefficients and blood viscosity varied substantially with respect to homogeneous hardened RBCs or heterogeneous hardened RBCs. In conclusion, the proposed method can be used to effectively detect changes in blood or microfluidic systems. In future studies, the present method can contribute to the detection of subpopulations of RBCs in the patient's blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Jun Kang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chosun University, 309 Pilmun-daero, Dong-gu, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea
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6
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Salipante PF. Microfluidic techniques for mechanical measurements of biological samples. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2023; 4:011303. [PMID: 38505816 PMCID: PMC10903441 DOI: 10.1063/5.0130762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The use of microfluidics to make mechanical property measurements is increasingly common. Fabrication of microfluidic devices has enabled various types of flow control and sensor integration at micrometer length scales to interrogate biological materials. For rheological measurements of biofluids, the small length scales are well suited to reach high rates, and measurements can be made on droplet-sized samples. The control of flow fields, constrictions, and external fields can be used in microfluidics to make mechanical measurements of individual bioparticle properties, often at high sampling rates for high-throughput measurements. Microfluidics also enables the measurement of bio-surfaces, such as the elasticity and permeability properties of layers of cells cultured in microfluidic devices. Recent progress on these topics is reviewed, and future directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul F. Salipante
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Polymers and Complex Fluids Group, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
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7
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Kang YJ. Biomechanical Assessment of Red Blood Cells in Pulsatile Blood Flows. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:317. [PMID: 36838017 PMCID: PMC9958583 DOI: 10.3390/mi14020317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
As rheological properties are substantially influenced by red blood cells (RBCs) and plasma, the separation of their individual contributions in blood is essential. The estimation of multiple rheological factors is a critical issue for effective early detection of diseases. In this study, three rheological properties (i.e., viscoelasticity, RBC aggregation, and blood junction pressure) are measured by analyzing the blood velocity and image intensity in a microfluidic device. Using a single syringe pump, the blood flow rate sets to a pulsatile flow pattern (Qb[t] = 1 + 0.5 sin(2πt/240) mL/h). Based on the discrete fluidic circuit model, the analytical formula of the time constant (λb) as viscoelasticity is derived and obtained at specific time intervals by analyzing the pulsatile blood velocity. To obtain RBC aggregation by reducing blood velocity substantially, an air compliance unit (ACU) is used to connect polyethylene tubing (i.d. = 250 µm, length = 150 mm) to the blood channel in parallel. The RBC aggregation index (AI) is obtained by analyzing the microscopic image intensity. The blood junction pressure (β) is obtained by integrating the blood velocity within the ACU. As a demonstration, the present method is then applied to detect either RBC-aggregated blood with different concentrations of dextran solution or hardened blood with thermally shocked RBCs. Thus, it can be concluded that the present method has the ability to consistently detect differences in diluent or RBCs in terms of three rheological properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Jun Kang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chosun University, 309 Pilmun-daero, Dong-gu, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea
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8
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Shiba K, Liu L, Li G. Strain Sensor-Inserted Microchannel for Gas Viscosity Measurement. BIOSENSORS 2023; 13:76. [PMID: 36671911 PMCID: PMC9855327 DOI: 10.3390/bios13010076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Quantifying the viscosity of a gas is of great importance in determining its properties and can even be used to identify what the gas is. While many techniques exist for measuring the viscosities of gases, it is still challenging to probe gases with a simple, robust setup that will be useful for practical applications. We introduce a facile approach to estimating gas viscosity using a strain gauge inserted in a straight microchannel with a height smaller than that of the gauge. Using a constrained geometry for the strain gauge, in which part of the gauge deforms the channel to generate initial gauge strain that can be transduced into pressure, the pressure change induced via fluid flow was measured. The change was found to linearly correlate with fluid viscosity, allowing estimation of the viscosities of gases with a simple device.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kota Shiba
- Center for Functional Sensor & Actuator (CFSN), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Ibaraki, Japan
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 9 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Linbo Liu
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 9 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- DAAN Gene Co., Ltd. of Guangzhou, 19 Xiangshan Road, Science Park, High & New Technology Development District, Guangzhou 510665, China
| | - Guangming Li
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 9 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun 130022, China
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9
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Chen L, Li D, Liu X, Xie Y, Shan J, Huang H, Yu X, Chen Y, Zheng W, Li Z. Point-of-Care Blood Coagulation Assay Based on Dynamic Monitoring of Blood Viscosity Using Droplet Microfluidics. ACS Sens 2022; 7:2170-2177. [PMID: 35537208 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.1c02360] [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: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Monitoring of the coagulation function has applications in many clinical settings. Routine coagulation assays in the clinic are sample-consuming and slow in turnaround. Microfluidics provides the opportunity to develop coagulation assays that are applicable in point-of-care settings, but reported works required bulky sample pumping units or costly data acquisition instruments. In this work, we developed a microfluidic coagulation assay with a simple setup and easy operation. The device continuously generated droplets of blood sample and buffer mixture and reported the temporal development of blood viscosity during coagulation based on the color appearance of the resultant droplets. We characterized the relationship between blood viscosity and color appearance of the droplets and performed experiments to validate the assay results. In addition, we developed a prototype analyzer equipped with simple fluid pumping and economical imaging module and obtained similar assay measurements. This assay showed great potential to be developed into a point-of-care coagulation test with practical impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linzhe Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Donghao Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Xinyu Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Faculty of Information Technology, Collaborative Laboratory for Intelligent Science and Systems and State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao 999078, China
| | - Yihan Xie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Jieying Shan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Haofan Huang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Xiaxia Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yudan Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Weidong Zheng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zida Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
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10
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Jang Y, Wee H, Oh J, Jung J. Single Microdroplet Breakup-Assisted Viscosity Measurement. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13040558. [PMID: 35457863 PMCID: PMC9032506 DOI: 10.3390/mi13040558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Recently, with the development of biomedical fields, the viscosity of prepolymer fluids, such as hydrogels, has played an important role in determining the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) or being closely related to cell viability in ECM. The technology for measuring viscosity is also developing. Here, we describe a method that can measure the viscosity of a fluid with trace amounts of prepolymers based on a simple flow-focused microdroplet generator. We also propose an equation that could predict the viscosity of a fluid. The viscosity of the prepolymer was predicted by measuring and calculating various lengths of the disperse phase at the cross junction of two continuous-phase channels and one disperse-phase channel. Bioprepolymer alginates and gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) were used to measure the viscosity at different concentrations in a microdroplet generator. The break-up length of the dispersed phase at the cross junction of the channel gradually increased with increasing flow rate and viscosity. Additional viscosity analysis was performed to validate the standard viscosity calculation formula depending on the measured length. The viscosity formula derived based on the length of the alginate prepolymer was applied to GelMA. At a continuous phase flow rate of 400 uL/h, the empirical formula of alginate showed an error within about 2%, which was shown to predict the viscosity very well in the viscometer. Results of this study are expected to be very useful for hydrogel tuning in biomedical and tissue regeneration fields by providing a technology that can measure the dynamic viscosity of various prepolymers in a microchannel with small amounts of sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeongseok Jang
- Department of Mechanical Design Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Korea;
| | - Hwabok Wee
- Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA 17033, USA;
| | - Jonghyun Oh
- Department of Nano-Bio Mechanical System Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Korea
- Correspondence: (J.O.); (J.J.)
| | - Jinmu Jung
- Department of Nano-Bio Mechanical System Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Korea
- Correspondence: (J.O.); (J.J.)
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11
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Li D, Liu X, Chai Y, Shan J, Xie Y, Liang Y, Huang S, Zheng W, Li Z. Point-of-care blood coagulation assay enabled by printed circuit board-based digital microfluidics. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:709-716. [PMID: 35050293 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00981h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The monitoring of coagulation function has great implications in many clinical settings. However, existing coagulation assays are simplex, sample-consuming, and slow in turnaround, making them less suitable for point-of-care testing. In this work, we developed a novel blood coagulation assay that simultaneously assesses both the tendency of clotting and the stiffness of the resultant clot using printed circuit board (PCB)-based digital microfluidics. A drop of blood was actuated to move back and forth on the PCB electrode array, until the motion winded down as the blood coagulated and became thicker. The velocity tracing and the deformation of the clot were calculated via image analysis to reflect the coagulation progression and the clot stiffness, respectively. We investigated the effect of different hardware and biochemical settings on the assay results. To validate the assay, we performed assays on blood samples with hypo- and hyper-coagulability, and the results confirmed the assay's capability in distinguishing different blood samples. We then examined the correlation between the measured metrics in our assays and standard coagulation assays, namely prothrombin time and fibrinogen level, and the high correlation supported the clinical relevance of our assay. We envision that this method would serve as a powerful point-of-care coagulation testing method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghao Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Xinyu Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Faculty of Information Technology, Collaborative Laboratory for Intelligent Science and Systems and State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao 999078, China
| | - Yujuan Chai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Jieying Shan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yihan Xie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yong Liang
- Faculty of Information Technology, Collaborative Laboratory for Intelligent Science and Systems and State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao 999078, China
| | - Susu Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Weidong Zheng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zida Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
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12
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Del Giudice F. A Review of Microfluidic Devices for Rheological Characterisation. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:167. [PMID: 35208292 PMCID: PMC8877273 DOI: 10.3390/mi13020167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The rheological characterisation of liquids finds application in several fields ranging from industrial production to the medical practice. Conventional rheometers are the gold standard for the rheological characterisation; however, they are affected by several limitations, including high costs, large volumes required and difficult integration to other systems. By contrast, microfluidic devices emerged as inexpensive platforms, requiring a little sample to operate and fashioning a very easy integration into other systems. Such advantages have prompted the development of microfluidic devices to measure rheological properties such as viscosity and longest relaxation time, using a finger-prick of volumes. This review highlights some of the microfluidic platforms introduced so far, describing their advantages and limitations, while also offering some prospective for future works.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Del Giudice
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
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13
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Mustafa A, Eser A, Aksu AC, Kiraz A, Tanyeri M, Erten A, Yalcin O. A micropillar-based microfluidic viscometer for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. Anal Chim Acta 2020; 1135:107-115. [PMID: 33070846 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2020.07.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In this study, a novel viscosity measurement technique based on measuring the deflection of flexible (poly) dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillars is presented. The experimental results show a nonlinear relationship between fluid viscosity and the deflection of micropillars due to viscoelastic properties of PDMS. A calibration curve, demonstrating this nonlinear relationship, is generated, and used to determine the viscosity of an unknown fluid. Using our method, viscosity measurements for Newtonian fluids (glycerol/water solutions) can be performed within 2-100 cP at shear rates γ = 60.5-398.4 s-1. We also measured viscosity of human whole blood samples (non-Newtonian fluid) yielding 2.7-5.1 cP at shear rates γ = 120-345.1 s-1, which compares well with measurements using conventional rotational viscometers (3.6-5.7 cP). With a sensitivity better than 0.5 cP, this method has the potential to be used as a portable microfluidic viscometer for real-time rheological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adil Mustafa
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Physics, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Aysenur Eser
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ali Cenk Aksu
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Alper Kiraz
- Department of Physics, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Electrical Engineering Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Melikhan Tanyeri
- Department of Engineering, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, USA.
| | - Ahmet Erten
- Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Ozlem Yalcin
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, School of Medicine, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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