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Viola HL, Vasani V, Washington K, Lee JH, Selva C, Li A, Llorente CJ, Murayama Y, Grotberg JB, Romanò F, Takayama S. Liquid plug propagation in computer-controlled microfluidic airway-on-a-chip with semi-circular microchannels. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:197-209. [PMID: 38093669 PMCID: PMC10842925 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00957b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
This paper introduces a two-inlet, one-outlet lung-on-a-chip device with semi-circular cross-section microchannels and computer-controlled fluidic switching that enables a broader systematic investigation of liquid plug dynamics in a manner relevant to the distal airways. A leak-proof bonding protocol for micro-milled devices facilitates channel bonding and culture of confluent primary small airway epithelial cells. Production of liquid plugs with computer-controlled inlet channel valving and just one outlet allows more stable long-term plug generation and propagation compared to previous designs. The system also captures both plug speed and length as well as pressure drop concurrently. In one demonstration, the system reproducibly generates surfactant-containing liquid plugs, a challenging process due to lower surface tension that makes the plug formation less stable. The addition of surfactant decreases the pressure required to initiate plug propagation, a potentially significant effect in diseases where surfactant in the airways is absent or dysfunctional. Next, the device recapitulates the effect of increasing fluid viscosity, a challenging analysis due to higher resistance of viscous fluids that makes plug formation and propagation more difficult particularly in airway-relevant length scales. Experimental results show that increased fluid viscosity decreases plug propagation speed for a given air flow rate. These findings are supplemented by computational modeling of viscous plug propagation that demonstrates increased plug propagation time, increased maximum wall shear stress, and greater pressure differentials in more viscous conditions of plug propagation. These results match physiology as mucus viscosity is increased in various obstructive lung diseases where it is known that respiratory mechanics can be compromised due to mucus plugging of the distal airways. Finally, experiments evaluate the effect of channel geometry on primary human small airway epithelial cell injury in this lung-on-a-chip. There is more injury in the middle of the channel relative to the edges highlighting the role of channel shape, a physiologically relevant parameter as airway cross-sectional geometry can also be non-circular. In sum, this paper describes a system that pushes the device limits with regards to the types of liquid plugs that can be stably generated for studies of distal airway fluid mechanical injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah L Viola
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
- The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
| | - Vishwa Vasani
- The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
- The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Kendra Washington
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Ji-Hoon Lee
- The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Cauviya Selva
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Andrea Li
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Carlos J Llorente
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Yoshinobu Murayama
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, College of Engineering, Nihon University, Fukushima, Japan
| | - James B Grotberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Francesco Romanò
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, ONERA, Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology, Centrale Lille, FRE 2017-LMFL-Laboratoire de Mécanique des Fluides de Lille - Kampé de Fériet, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - Shuichi Takayama
- The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
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Vasquez PA, Walker B, Bloom K, Kolbin D, Caughman N, Freeman R, Lysy M, Hult C, Newhall KA, Papanikolas M, Edelmaier C, Forest MG. The power of weak, transient interactions across biology: A paradigm of emergent behavior. PHYSICA D. NONLINEAR PHENOMENA 2023; 454:133866. [PMID: 38274029 PMCID: PMC10806540 DOI: 10.1016/j.physd.2023.133866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
A growing list of diverse biological systems and their equally diverse functionalities provides realizations of a paradigm of emergent behavior. In each of these biological systems, pervasive ensembles of weak, short-lived, spatially local interactions act autonomously to convey functionalities at larger spatial and temporal scales. In this article, a range of diverse systems and functionalities are presented in a cursory manner with literature citations for further details. Then two systems and their properties are discussed in more detail: yeast chromosome biology and human respiratory mucus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula A. Vasquez
- Department of Mathematics, University of South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Ben Walker
- Department of Mathematics, University of California at Irvine, United States of America
| | - Kerry Bloom
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States of America
| | - Daniel Kolbin
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States of America
| | - Neall Caughman
- Department of Mathematics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States of America
| | - Ronit Freeman
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States of America
| | - Martin Lysy
- Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Waterloo, Canada
| | - Caitlin Hult
- Department of Mathematics, Gettysburg College, United States of America
| | - Katherine A. Newhall
- Department of Mathematics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States of America
| | - Micah Papanikolas
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States of America
| | - Christopher Edelmaier
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States of America
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, United States of America
| | - M. Gregory Forest
- Department of Mathematics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States of America
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States of America
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Viola HL, Vasani V, Washington K, Lee JH, Selva C, Li A, Llorente CJ, Murayama Y, Grotberg JB, Romanò F, Takayama S. Liquid plug propagation in computer-controlled microfluidic airway-on-a-chip with semi-circular microchannels. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.24.542177. [PMID: 37292706 PMCID: PMC10245866 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.24.542177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This paper introduces a two-inlet, one-outlet lung-on-a-chip device with semi-circular cross-section microchannels and computer-controlled fluidic switching that enables a broader systematic investigation of liquid plug dynamics in a manner relevant to the distal airways. A leak-proof bonding protocol for micro-milled devices facilitates channel bonding and culture of confluent primary small airway epithelial cells. Production of liquid plugs with computer-controlled inlet channel valving and just one outlet allows more stable long-term plug generation and propagation compared to previous designs. The system also captures both plug speed and length as well as pressure drop concurrently. In one demonstration, the system reproducibly generates surfactant-containing liquid plugs, a challenging process due to lower surface tension that makes the plug formation less stable. The addition of surfactant decreases the pressure required to initiate plug propagation, a potentially significant effect in diseases where surfactant in the airways is absent or dysfunctional. Next, the device recapitulates the effect of increasing fluid viscosity, a challenging analysis due to higher resistance of viscous fluids that makes plug formation and propagation more difficult particularly in airway-relevant length scales. Experimental results show that increased fluid viscosity decreases plug propagation speed for a given air flow rate. These findings are supplemented by computational modeling of viscous plug propagation that demonstrate increased plug propagation time, increased maximum wall shear stress, and greater pressure differentials in more viscous conditions of plug propagation. These results match physiology as mucus viscosity is increased in various obstructive lung diseases where it is known that respiratory mechanics can be compromised due to mucus plugging of the distal airways. Finally, experiments evaluate the effect of channel geometry on primary human small airway epithelial cell injury in this lung-on-a-chip. There is more injury in the middle of the channel relative to the edges highlighting the role of channel shape, a physiologically relevant parameter as airway cross-sectional geometry can also be non-circular. In sum, this paper describes a system that pushes the device limits with regards to the types of liquid plugs that can be stably generated for studies of distal airway fluid mechanical injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah L Viola
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30332
- The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30332
| | - Vishwa Vasani
- The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30332
- The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30332
| | - Kendra Washington
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30332
| | - Ji-Hoon Lee
- The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30332
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30332
| | - Cauviya Selva
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30332
| | - Andrea Li
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30332
| | - Carlos J Llorente
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA, 48824
| | - Yoshinobu Murayama
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, College of Engineering, Nihon University, Fukushima, Japan
| | - James B Grotberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
| | - Francesco Romanò
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, ONERA, Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology, Centrale Lille, FRE 2017 -LMFL-Laboratoire de Mécanique des Fluides de Lille - Kampé de Fériet, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - Shuichi Takayama
- The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30332
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30332
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Esteban Enjuto L, Robert de Saint Vincent M, Maurin M, Degano B, Bodiguel H. Sputum handling for rheology. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7695. [PMID: 37169792 PMCID: PMC10173912 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34043-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The rheology of sputum is viewed as a powerful emerging biophysical marker for monitoring muco-obstructive pulmonary diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF bronchiectasis (NCFB). However, there is no unified practice to process sputa from collection to analysis, which can lead to highly variable, and sometimes inconsistent results. The main objective of this study is to bring light into the handling of sputum samples to establish a standardised and robust protocol before rheological measurements. Sputum collected from 22 CF and 10 NCFB adults, was divided into control (vortexed and fresh: non-heated and non-frozen) and three treated conditions (either non-vortexed, heated or frozen). In addition, 6 CF expectorations were used to study the dynamics of ageing over 24 h. Sputum's mechanical properties were measured with a rotational rheometer to obtain their properties at rest, elastic ([Formula: see text]) and viscous moduli ([Formula: see text]), and at the onset of flow, critical deformation ([Formula: see text]) and critical stress ([Formula: see text]). We demonstrate that heating sputum is completely destructive while freezing sputa at [Formula: see text] has no discernible effect on their rheology. We also show that the variability of rheological measurements largely resulted from the sample's macroscopic heterogeneity, and can be greatly reduced by non-destructive vortex homogenisation. Finally, we observed contrasted ageing effects as a fonction of purulence: while the viscoelasticity of purulent samples reduced by half within 6 h after collection, semi-purulent samples did not evolve. These results guide towards a robust unified protocol for simple sputum handling in rheometry. We therefore suggest to vortex and snap freeze sputum samples immediately after collection when direct testing is not possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Esteban Enjuto
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble-INP, LRP UMR5520, Grenoble, France.
- Rheonova, 1 Allée de Certèze, 38610, Gières, France.
| | | | - Max Maurin
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CHU Grenoble Alpes, TIMC, Grenoble, France
| | - Bruno Degano
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INSERM U1030, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Hugues Bodiguel
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble-INP, LRP UMR5520, Grenoble, France
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Schaefer C, McKinley GH, McLeish TCB. Editorial: theme issue on complex rheology in biological systems. Interface Focus 2022. [PMCID: PMC9560783 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2022.0058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Charley Schaefer
- Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Gareth H. McKinley
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 01239, USA
| | - Tom C. B. McLeish
- Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK
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