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Deliorman M, Ali DS, Qasaimeh MA. Next-Generation Microfluidics for Biomedical Research and Healthcare Applications. Biomed Eng Comput Biol 2023; 14:11795972231214387. [PMID: 38033395 PMCID: PMC10683381 DOI: 10.1177/11795972231214387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Microfluidic systems offer versatile biomedical tools and methods to enhance human convenience and health. Advances in these systems enables next-generation microfluidics that integrates automation, manipulation, and smart readout systems, as well as design and three-dimensional (3D) printing for precise production of microchannels and other microstructures rapidly and with great flexibility. These 3D-printed microfluidic platforms not only control the complex fluid behavior for various biomedical applications, but also serve as microconduits for building 3D tissue constructs-an integral component of advanced drug development, toxicity assessment, and accurate disease modeling. Furthermore, the integration of other emerging technologies, such as advanced microscopy and robotics, enables the spatiotemporal manipulation and high-throughput screening of cell physiology within precisely controlled microenvironments. Notably, the portability and high precision automation capabilities in these integrated systems facilitate rapid experimentation and data acquisition to help deepen our understanding of complex biological systems and their behaviors. While certain challenges, including material compatibility, scaling, and standardization still exist, the integration with artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, smart materials, and miniaturization holds tremendous promise in reshaping traditional microfluidic approaches. This transformative potential, when integrated with advanced technologies, has the potential to revolutionize biomedical research and healthcare applications, ultimately benefiting human health. This review highlights the advances in the field and emphasizes the critical role of the next generation microfluidic systems in advancing biomedical research, point-of-care diagnostics, and healthcare systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dima Samer Ali
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mohammad A Qasaimeh
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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Wang G, Li C, Miao C, Li S, Qiu B, Ding W. On-Chip Label-Free Sorting of Living and Dead Cells. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2023; 9:5430-5440. [PMID: 37603885 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c00820] [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] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
With the emergence of various cutting-edge micromachining technologies, lab on a chip is growing rapidly, but it is always a challenge to realize the on-chip separation of living cells from cell samples without affecting cell activity and function. Herein, we report a novel on-chip label-free method for sorting living and dead cells by integrating the hypertonic stimulus and tilted-angle standing surface acoustic wave (T-SSAW) technologies. On a self-designed microfluidic chip, the hypertonic stimulus is used to distinguish cells by producing volume differences between living and dead cells, while T-SSAW is used to separate living and dead cells according to the cell volume difference. Under the optimized operation conditions, for the sample containing 50% of living human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and 50% of dead HUVECs treated with paraformaldehyde, the purity of living cells after the first separation can reach approximately 80%, while after the second separation, it can be as high as 93%; furthermore, the purity of living cells after separation increases with the initial proportion of living cells. In addition, the chip we designed is safe for cells and can robustly handle cell samples with different cell types or different causes of cell death. This work provides a new design of a microfluidic chip for label-free sorting of living and dead cells, greatly promoting the multi-functionality of lab on a chip.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guowei Wang
- School of Information Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Chengpan Li
- School of Information Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Chunguang Miao
- School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Shibo Li
- School of Information Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Bensheng Qiu
- School of Information Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Weiping Ding
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230001, China
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Pan H, Mei D, Xu C, Li X, Wang Y. Acoustic tweezers using bisymmetric coherent surface acoustic waves for dynamic and reconfigurable manipulation of particle multimers. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 643:115-123. [PMID: 37058887 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.04.021] [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: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS The accurate and dynamic manipulation of multiple micro-sized objects has always been a technical challenge in areas of colloid assembly, tissue engineering, and organ regeneration. The hypothesis of this paper is the precise modulation and parallel manipulation of morphology of individual and multiple colloidal multimers can be achieved by customizing acoustic field. EXPERIMENTS Herein, we present a colloidal multimer manipulation method by using acoustic tweezers with bisymmetric coherent surface acoustic waves (SAWs), which enables contactless morphology modulation of individual colloidal multimers and patterning arrays by regulating the shape of acoustic field to specific desired distributions with high accuracy. Rapid switching of multimer patterning arrays, morphology modulation of individual multimers, and controllable rotation can be achieved by regulating coherent wave vector configurations and phase relations in real time. FINDINGS To demonstrate the capabilities of this technology, we have firstly achieved eleven patterns of deterministic morphology switching for single hexamer and precise switching between three array modes. In addition, the assembly of multimers with three kinds of specific widths and controllable rotation of single multimers and arrays were demonstrated from 0 to 22.4 rpm (tetramers). Therefore, this technique enables reversible assembly and dynamic manipulation of particles and/or cells in colloid synthesis applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemin Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Deqing Mei
- State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Chengyao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing Technology of Zhejiang Province, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Xin Li
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing Technology of Zhejiang Province, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Yancheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
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Millet LJ, Jain A, Gillette MU. Less Is More: Oligomer Extraction and Hydrothermal Annealing Increase PDMS Adhesion Forces for Materials Studies and for Biology-Focused Microfluidic Applications. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:214. [PMID: 36677275 PMCID: PMC9866318 DOI: 10.3390/mi14010214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Cues in the micro-environment are key determinants in the emergence of complex cellular morphologies and functions. Primary among these is the presence of neighboring cells that form networks. For high-resolution analysis, it is crucial to develop micro-environments that permit exquisite control of network formation. This is especially true in cell science, tissue engineering, and clinical biology. We introduce a new approach for assembling polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic environments that enhances cell network formation and analyses. We report that the combined processes of PDMS solvent-extraction and hydrothermal annealing create unique conditions that produce high-strength bonds between solvent-extracted PDMS (E-PDMS) and glass-properties not associated with conventional PDMS. Extraction followed by hydrothermal annealing removes unbound oligomers, promotes polymer cross-linking, facilitates covalent bond formation with glass, and retains the highest biocompatibility. Herein, our extraction protocol accelerates oligomer removal from 5 to 2 days. Resulting microfluidic platforms are uniquely suited for cell-network studies owing to high adhesion forces, effectively corralling cellular extensions and eliminating harmful oligomers. We demonstrate the simple, simultaneous actuation of multiple microfluidic domains for invoking ATP- and glutamate-induced Ca2+ signaling in glial-cell networks. These E-PDMS modifications and flow manipulations further enable microfluidic technologies for cell-signaling and network studies as well as novel applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larry J. Millet
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- The Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- The Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Anika Jain
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- The Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Martha U. Gillette
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- The Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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Deliorman M, Glia A, Qasaimeh MA. Affinity-Based Microfluidics Combined with Atomic Force Microscopy for Isolation and Nanomechanical Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2679:41-66. [PMID: 37300608 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3271-0_4] [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] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this chapter, we present the materials and methods required to isolate and characterize circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples of cancer patients based on our newly developed microfluidic technologies. In particular, the devices presented herein are designed to be compatible with at\omic force microscopy (AFM) for post-capture nanomechanical investigation of CTCs. Microfluidics is well-established as a technology for isolating CTCs from the whole blood of cancer patients, and AFM is a gold standard for quantitative biophysical analysis of cells. However, CTCs are very scarce in nature, and those captured using standard closed-channel microfluidic chips are typically inaccessible for AFM procedures. As a result, their nanomechanical properties largely remain unexplored. Thus, given limitations associated with current microfluidic designs, significant efforts are put toward bringing innovative designs for real time characterization of CTCs. In light of this constant endeavor, the scope of this chapter is to compile our recent efforts on two microfluidic technologies, namely, the AFM-Chip and the HB-MFP, which proved to be efficient in isolating CTCs through antibody-antigen interactions, and their subsequent characterization using AFM.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ayoub Glia
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Mohammad A Qasaimeh
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
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