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Mortelmans T, Marty B, Kazazis D, Padeste C, Li X, Ekinci Y. Three-Dimensional Microfluidic Capillary Device for Rapid and Multiplexed Immunoassays in Whole Blood. ACS Sens 2024; 9:2455-2464. [PMID: 38687557 PMCID: PMC11129352 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.4c00153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we demonstrate whole blood immunoassays using a microfluidic device optimized for conducting rapid and multiplexed fluorescence-linked immunoassays. The device is capable of handling whole blood samples without any preparatory treatment. The three-dimensional channels in poly(methyl methacrylate) are designed to passively load bodily fluids and, due to their linearly tapered profile, facilitate size-dependent immobilization of biofunctionalized particles. The channel geometry is optimized to allow for the unimpeded flow of cellular constituents such as red blood cells (RBCs). Additionally, to make the device easier to operate, the biofunctionalized particles are pretrapped in a first step, and the channel is dried under vacuum, after which it can be loaded with the biological sample. This novel approach and design eliminated the need for traditionally laborious steps such as filtering, incubation, and washing steps, thereby substantially simplifying the immunoassay procedures. Moreover, by leveraging the shallow device dimensions, we show that sample loading to read-out is possible within 5 min. Our results also show that the presence of RBCs does not compromise the sensitivity of the assays when compared to those performed in a pure buffer solution. This highlights the practical adaptability of the device for simple and rapid whole-blood assays. Lastly, we demonstrate the device's multiplexing capability by pretrapping particles of different sizes, each functionalized with a different antigen, thus enabling the performance of multiplexed on-chip whole-blood immunoassays, showcasing the device's versatility and effectiveness toward low-cost, simple, and multiplexed sensing of biomarkers and pathogens directly in whole blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Mortelmans
- Laboratory
for X-ray Nanoscience and Technologies, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
- Swiss
Nanoscience Institute, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Balz Marty
- Laboratory
for X-ray Nanoscience and Technologies, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Dimitrios Kazazis
- Laboratory
for X-ray Nanoscience and Technologies, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Celestino Padeste
- Laboratory
of Nanoscale Biology, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Xiaodan Li
- Laboratory
of Biomolecular Research, Paul Scherrer
Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Yasin Ekinci
- Laboratory
for X-ray Nanoscience and Technologies, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
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2
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Anand P, Subramanian G. Inertial Migration in a Pressure-Driven Channel Flow: Beyond the Segre-Silberberg Pinch. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2024; 132:054002. [PMID: 38364167 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.132.054002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
We examine theoretically the inertial migration of a neutrally buoyant rigid sphere in pressure-driven channel flow, accounting for its finite size relative to the channel width (the confinement ratio). For sufficiently large channel Reynolds numbers (Re_{c}), a small but finite confinement ratio qualitatively alters the inertial lift velocity profiles obtained using a point-particle formulation. Finite size effects lead to new equilibria, in addition to the well-known Segre-Silberberg pinch locations. Consequently, a sphere can migrate to either the near-wall Segre-Silberberg equilibria, or the new stable equilibria located closer to the channel centerline, depending on Re_{c} and its initial position. Our findings are in accord with recent experiments and simulations, and have implications for passive sorting of particles based on size, shape, and other physical characteristics, in microfluidic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prateek Anand
- International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Bengaluru-560089, India
| | - Ganesh Subramanian
- Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru-560064, India
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3
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Ashkani A, Jafari A, Ghomsheh MJ, Dumas N, Funfschilling D. Enhancing particle focusing: a comparative experimental study of modified square wave and square wave microchannels in lift and Dean vortex regimes. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2679. [PMID: 38302543 PMCID: PMC10834497 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52839-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Serpentine microchannels are known for their effective particle focusing through Dean flow-induced rotational effects, which are used in compact designs for size-dependent focusing in medical diagnostics. This study explores square serpentine microchannels, a geometry that has recently gained prominence in inertial microfluidics, and presents a modification of square wave microchannels for improved particle separation and focusing. The proposed modification incorporates an additional U-shaped unit to convert the square wave microchannel into a non-axisymmetric structure, which enhances the Dean flow and consequently increases the Dean drag force. Extensive experiments were conducted covering a wide range of Reynolds numbers and particle sizes (2.45 µm to 12 µm). The particle concentration capability and streak position dynamics of the two structures were compared in detail. The results indicate that the modified square-wave microchannel exhibits efficient particle separation in the lower part of the Dean vortex-dominated regime. With increasing Reynolds number, the particles are successively focused into two streaks in the lift force-dominated regime and into a single streak in the Dean vortex-dominated regime, in this modified square wave geometry. These streaks have a low standard deviation around a mean value. In the Dean vortex-dominated regime, the location of the particle stream is highly dependent on the particle size, which allows good particle separation. Particle focusing occurs at lower Reynolds numbers in both the lift-dominated and lift/Dean drag-dominated regions than in the square wave microchannel. The innovative serpentine channel is particularly useful for the Dean drag-dominated regime and introduces a unique asymmetry that affects the particle focusing dynamics. The proposed device offers significant advantages in terms of efficiency, parallelization, footprint, and throughput over existing geometries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Ashkani
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 11155-4563, Tehran, Iran
| | - Azadeh Jafari
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 11155-4563, Tehran, Iran.
- ICube, UMR 7357-CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 1, Cours des Cigarières, 67000, Strasbourg, France.
| | - Mehryar Jannesari Ghomsheh
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 11155-4563, Tehran, Iran
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Norbert Dumas
- ICube, UMR 7357-CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 1, Cours des Cigarières, 67000, Strasbourg, France
- ICube, UMR 7357-CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 300 bd Sébastien Brant, 67412, Illkirch, France
| | - Denis Funfschilling
- ICube, UMR 7357-CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 1, Cours des Cigarières, 67000, Strasbourg, France.
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4
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Kato S, Carlson DW, Shen AQ, Guo Y. Twisted fiber microfluidics: a cutting-edge approach to 3D spiral devices. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2024; 10:14. [PMID: 38259519 PMCID: PMC10800335 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-023-00642-9] [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: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
The development of 3D spiral microfluidics has opened new avenues for leveraging inertial focusing to analyze small fluid volumes, thereby advancing research across chemical, physical, and biological disciplines. While traditional straight microchannels rely solely on inertial lift forces, the novel spiral geometry generates Dean drag forces, eliminating the necessity for external fields in fluid manipulation. Nevertheless, fabricating 3D spiral microfluidics remains a labor-intensive and costly endeavor, hindering its widespread adoption. Moreover, conventional lithographic methods primarily yield 2D planar devices, thereby limiting the selection of materials and geometrical configurations. To address these challenges, this work introduces a streamlined fabrication method for 3D spiral microfluidic devices, employing rotational force within a miniaturized thermal drawing process, termed as mini-rTDP. This innovation allows for rapid prototyping of twisted fiber-based microfluidics featuring versatility in material selection and heightened geometric intricacy. To validate the performance of these devices, we combined computational modeling with microtomographic particle image velocimetry (μTPIV) to comprehensively characterize the 3D flow dynamics. Our results corroborate the presence of a steady secondary flow, underscoring the effectiveness of our approach. Our 3D spiral microfluidics platform paves the way for exploring intricate microflow dynamics, with promising applications in areas such as drug delivery, diagnostics, and lab-on-a-chip systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunsuke Kato
- Department of Electrical, Information and Physics Engineering, School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8579 Miyagi Japan
| | - Daniel W. Carlson
- Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna, Kunigami-gun, 904-0495 Okinawa Japan
| | - Amy Q. Shen
- Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna, Kunigami-gun, 904-0495 Okinawa Japan
| | - Yuanyuan Guo
- Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS), Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-0845 Miyagi Japan
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8579 Miyagi Japan
- Department of Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575 Miyagi Japan
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5
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Peng T, Qiang J, Yuan S. Sheathless inertial particle focusing methods within microfluidic devices: a review. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 11:1331968. [PMID: 38260735 PMCID: PMC10801244 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1331968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability to manipulate and focus particles within microscale fluidic environments is crucial to advancing biological, chemical, and medical research. Precise and high-throughput particle focusing is an essential prerequisite for various applications, including cell counting, biomolecular detection, sample sorting, and enhancement of biosensor functionalities. Active and sheath-assisted focusing techniques offer accuracy but necessitate the introduction of external energy fields or additional sheath flows. In contrast, passive focusing methods exploit the inherent fluid dynamics in achieving high-throughput focusing without external actuation. This review analyzes the latest developments in strategies of sheathless inertial focusing, emphasizing inertial and elasto-inertial microfluidic focusing techniques from the channel structure classifications. These methodologies will serve as pivotal benchmarks for the broader application of microfluidic focusing technologies in biological sample manipulation. Then, prospects for future development are also predicted. This paper will assist in the understanding of the design of microfluidic particle focusing devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Peng
- Zhuhai UM Science & Technology Research Institute, Zhuhai, China
| | - Jun Qiang
- The School of Mechanical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
| | - Shuai Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of High Performance Complex Manufacturing, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
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6
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Esene JE, Nasman PR, Miner DS, Nordin GP, Woolley AT. High-performance microchip electrophoresis separations of preterm birth biomarkers using 3D printed microfluidic devices. J Chromatogr A 2023; 1706:464242. [PMID: 37595419 PMCID: PMC10473225 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.464242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
We employed digital light processing-stereolithography 3D printing to create microfluidic devices with different designs for microchip electrophoresis (µCE). Short or long straight channel, and two- or four-turn serpentine channel microfluidic devices with separation channel lengths of 1.3, 3.1, 3.0, and 4.7 cm, respectively, all with a cross injector design, were fabricated. We measured current as a function of time and voltage to determine a separation time window and conditions for the onset of Joule heating in these designs. Separations in these devices were evaluated by performing µCE and measuring theoretical plate counts for electric field strengths near and above the onset of Joule heating, with fluorescently labeled glycine and phenylalanine as model analytes. We further demonstrated µCE of peptides and proteins related to preterm birth risk, showing increased peak capacity and resolution compared to previous results with 3D printed microdevices. These results mark an important step forward in the use of 3D printed microfluidic devices for rapid bioanalysis by µCE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joule E Esene
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Parker R Nasman
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Dallin S Miner
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Gregory P Nordin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Adam T Woolley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
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7
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Khandelwal A, Li X. Strain-induced self-rolled-up microtubes for multifunctional on-chip microfluidic applications. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2023; 17:051501. [PMID: 37720301 PMCID: PMC10505069 DOI: 10.1063/5.0170958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
On-chip microfluidics are characterized as miniaturized devices that can be either integrated with other components on-chip or can individually serve as a standalone lab-on-a-chip system for a variety of applications ranging from biochemical sensing to macromolecular manipulation. Heterogenous integration with various materials and form factors is, therefore, key to enhancing the performance of such microfluidic systems. The fabrication of complex three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic components that can be easily integrated with other material systems and existing state-of-the-art microfluidics is of rising importance. Research on producing self-assembled 3D architectures by the emerging self-rolled-up membrane (S-RuM) technology may hold the key to such integration. S-RuM technology relies on a strain-induced deformation mechanism to spontaneously transform stacked thin-film materials into 3D cylindrical hollow structures virtually on any kind of substrate. Besides serving as a compact microfluidic chamber, the S-RuM-based on-chip microtubular architecture exhibits several other advantages for microfluidic applications including customizable geometry, biocompatibility, chemical stability, ease of integration, uniform field distributions, and increased surface area to volume ratio. In this Review, we will highlight some of the applications related to molecule/particle sensing, particle delivery, and manipulation that utilized S-RuM technology to their advantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apratim Khandelwal
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Nick Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Xiuling Li
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed:
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8
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Akbari Z, Raoufi MA, Mirjalali S, Aghajanloo B. A review on inertial microfluidic fabrication methods. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2023; 17:051504. [PMID: 37869745 PMCID: PMC10589053 DOI: 10.1063/5.0163970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, there has been significant interest in inertial microfluidics due to its high throughput, ease of fabrication, and no need for external forces. The focusing efficiency of inertial microfluidic systems relies entirely on the geometrical features of microchannels because hydrodynamic forces (inertial lift forces and Dean drag forces) are the main driving forces in inertial microfluidic devices. In the past few years, novel microchannel structures have been propounded to improve particle manipulation efficiency. However, the fabrication of these unconventional structures has remained a serious challenge. Although researchers have pushed forward the frontiers of microfabrication technologies, the fabrication techniques employed for inertial microfluidics have not been discussed comprehensively. This review introduces the microfabrication approaches used for creating inertial microchannels, including photolithography, xurography, laser cutting, micromachining, microwire technique, etching, hot embossing, 3D printing, and injection molding. The advantages and disadvantages of these methods have also been discussed. Then, the techniques are reviewed regarding resolution, structures, cost, and materials. This review provides a thorough insight into the manufacturing methods of inertial microchannels, which could be helpful for future studies to improve the harvesting yield and resolution by choosing a proper fabrication technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohreh Akbari
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | | | - Sheyda Mirjalali
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Behrouz Aghajanloo
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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9
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Xiang N, Ni Z. Inertial microfluidics: current status, challenges, and future opportunities. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:4792-4804. [PMID: 36263793 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00722c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Inertial microfluidics uses the hydrodynamic effects induced at finite Reynolds numbers to achieve passive manipulation of particles, cells, or fluids and offers the advantages of high-throughput processing, simple channel geometry, and label-free and external field-free operation. Since its proposal in 2007, inertial microfluidics has attracted increasing interest and is currently widely employed as an important sample preparation protocol for single-cell detection and analysis. Although great success has been achieved in the inertial microfluidics field, its performance and outcome can be further improved. From this perspective, herein, we reviewed the current status, challenges, and opportunities of inertial microfluidics concerning the underlying physical mechanisms, available simulation tools, channel innovation, multistage, multiplexing, or multifunction integration, rapid prototyping, and commercial instrument development. With an improved understanding of the physical mechanisms and the development of novel channels, integration strategies, and commercial instruments, improved inertial microfluidic platforms may represent a new foundation for advancing biomedical research and disease diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Xiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Zhonghua Ni
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
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10
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Zhang S, Deng J, Li J, Tian F, Liu C, Fang L, Sun J. Advanced microfluidic technologies for isolating extracellular vesicles. Trends Analyt Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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11
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Ni C, Zhou Z, Zhu Z, Jiang D, Xiang N. Controllable Size-Independent Three-Dimensional Inertial Focusing in High-Aspect-Ratio Asymmetric Serpentine Microchannels. Anal Chem 2022; 94:15639-15647. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c02361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chen Ni
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing211189, China
| | - Zheng Zhou
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing211189, China
| | - Zhixian Zhu
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing211189, China
| | - Di Jiang
- College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing210037, China
- Jiangsu Yuyue Medical Equipment and Supply Co., Ltd., Jiangsu, Danyang212300, China
| | - Nan Xiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing211189, China
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12
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Park S, Lee S, Kim HS, Choi HJ, Jeong OC, Lin R, Cho Y, Lee MH. Square microchannel enables to focus and orient ellipsoidal Euglena gracilis cells by two-dimensional acoustic standing wave. Mikrochim Acta 2022; 189:331. [PMID: 35969307 DOI: 10.1007/s00604-022-05439-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Flow cytometry has become an indispensable tool for counting, analyzing, and sorting large cell populations in biological research and medical practice. Unfortunately, it has limitations in the analysis of non-spherically shaped cells due to the variation of their alignment with respect to the flow direction and, hence, the optical interrogation axis, resulting in unreliable cell analysis. Here, we present a simple on-chip acoustofluidic method to fix the orientation of ellipsoidal cells and focus them into a single, aligned stream. Specifically, by generating acoustic standing waves inside a 100 ⋅ 100 µm square-shaped microchannel, we successfully aligned and focused up to 97.7% of a population of Euglena gracilis (an ellipsoidal shaped microalgal species) cells in the center of the microchannel with high precision at a volume rate of 25 to 200 µL min-1. Uniform positioning of ellipsoidal cells is essential for making flow cytometry applicable to the investigation of a greater variety of cell populations and is expected to be beneficial for ecological studies and aquaculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungryul Park
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, 06974, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Hyun Soo Kim
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Kwangwoon University, Seoul, 01897, Republic of Korea
| | - Hong Jin Choi
- Department of Digital Anti-Aging Health Care, Inje University, Gimhae-si, 50834, Republic of Korea
| | - Ok Chan Jeong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Inje University, Gimhae-si, 50834, Republic of Korea
| | - Ruixian Lin
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, 06974, Republic of Korea
| | - Younghak Cho
- Department of Mechanical Design and Robot Engineering, Seoul National University of Science & Technology, Seoul, 01811, Republic of Korea.
| | - Min-Ho Lee
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, 06974, Republic of Korea.
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13
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Khandelwal A, Athreya N, Tu MQ, Janavicius LL, Yang Z, Milenkovic O, Leburton JP, Schroeder CM, Li X. Self-assembled microtubular electrodes for on-chip low-voltage electrophoretic manipulation of charged particles and macromolecules. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2022; 8:27. [PMID: 35310513 PMCID: PMC8882674 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-022-00354-6] [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: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
On-chip manipulation of charged particles using electrophoresis or electroosmosis is widely used for many applications, including optofluidic sensing, bioanalysis and macromolecular data storage. We hereby demonstrate a technique for the capture, localization, and release of charged particles and DNA molecules in an aqueous solution using tubular structures enabled by a strain-induced self-rolled-up nanomembrane (S-RuM) platform. Cuffed-in 3D electrodes that are embedded in cylindrical S-RuM structures and biased by a constant DC voltage are used to provide a uniform electrical field inside the microtubular devices. Efficient charged-particle manipulation is achieved at a bias voltage of <2-4 V, which is ~3 orders of magnitude lower than the required potential in traditional DC electrophoretic devices. Furthermore, Poisson-Boltzmann multiphysics simulation validates the feasibility and advantage of our microtubular charge manipulation devices over planar and other 3D variations of microfluidic devices. This work lays the foundation for on-chip DNA manipulation for data storage applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apratim Khandelwal
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
- Nick Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
| | - Nagendra Athreya
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
- Nick Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
| | - Michael Q. Tu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
| | - Lukas L. Janavicius
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
- Nick Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
| | - Zhendong Yang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Microelectronics Research Center, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78758 USA
| | - Olgica Milenkovic
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
- Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
| | - Jean-Pierre Leburton
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
- Nick Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
| | - Charles M. Schroeder
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
| | - Xiuling Li
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
- Nick Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Microelectronics Research Center, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78758 USA
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14
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Tang H, Niu J, Jin H, Lin S, Cui D. Geometric structure design of passive label-free microfluidic systems for biological micro-object separation. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2022; 8:62. [PMID: 35685963 PMCID: PMC9170746 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-022-00386-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Passive and label-free microfluidic devices have no complex external accessories or detection-interfering label particles. These devices are now widely used in medical and bioresearch applications, including cell focusing and cell separation. Geometric structure plays the most essential role when designing a passive and label-free microfluidic chip. An exquisitely designed geometric structure can change particle trajectories and improve chip performance. However, the geometric design principles of passive and label-free microfluidics have not been comprehensively acknowledged. Here, we review the geometric innovations of several microfluidic schemes, including deterministic lateral displacement (DLD), inertial microfluidics (IMF), and viscoelastic microfluidics (VEM), and summarize the most creative innovations and design principles of passive and label-free microfluidics. We aim to provide a guideline for researchers who have an interest in geometric innovations of passive label-free microfluidics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Tang
- Institute of Nano Biomedicine and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment Instrument, Department of Instrument Science and Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan RD, Shanghai, 200240 China
| | - Jiaqi Niu
- Institute of Nano Biomedicine and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment Instrument, Department of Instrument Science and Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan RD, Shanghai, 200240 China
| | - Han Jin
- Institute of Nano Biomedicine and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment Instrument, Department of Instrument Science and Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan RD, Shanghai, 200240 China
- National Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 28 Jiangchuan Easternroad, Shanghai, 200241 China
| | - Shujing Lin
- Institute of Nano Biomedicine and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment Instrument, Department of Instrument Science and Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan RD, Shanghai, 200240 China
- National Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 28 Jiangchuan Easternroad, Shanghai, 200241 China
| | - Daxiang Cui
- Institute of Nano Biomedicine and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment Instrument, Department of Instrument Science and Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan RD, Shanghai, 200240 China
- National Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 28 Jiangchuan Easternroad, Shanghai, 200241 China
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15
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Xiang N, Ni Z. Hand-Powered Inertial Microfluidic Syringe-Tip Centrifuge. BIOSENSORS 2021; 12:14. [PMID: 35049644 PMCID: PMC8774109 DOI: 10.3390/bios12010014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Conventional sample preparation techniques require bulky and expensive instruments and are not compatible with next-generation point-of-care diagnostic testing. Here, we report a manually operated syringe-tip inertial microfluidic centrifuge (named i-centrifuge) for high-flow-rate (up to 16 mL/min) cell concentration and experimentally demonstrate its working mechanism and performance. Low-cost polymer films and double-sided tape were used through a rapid nonclean-room process of laser cutting and lamination bonding to construct the key components of the i-centrifuge, which consists of a syringe-tip flow stabilizer and a four-channel paralleled inertial microfluidic concentrator. The unstable liquid flow generated by the manual syringe was regulated and stabilized with the flow stabilizer to power inertial focusing in a four-channel paralleled concentrator. Finally, we successfully used our i-centrifuge for manually operated cell concentration. This i-centrifuge offers the advantages of low device cost, simple hand-powered operation, high-flow-rate processing, and portable device volume. Therefore, it holds potential as a low-cost, portable sample preparation tool for point-of-care diagnostic testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Xiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China;
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Zhonghua Ni
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China;
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
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16
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Xiang N, Ni Z. Electricity-free hand-held inertial microfluidic sorter for size-based cell sorting. Talanta 2021; 235:122807. [PMID: 34517664 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Conventional batch-top cell sorters are often bulky and expensive, and miniaturized microfluidic sorters available mostly require field generators and electricity-powered pumping systems. Therefore, the development of a low-cost, portable cell sorter that can be used in low resource settings is essential. In this study, we propose such an electricity-free hand-held inertial microfluidic sorter that can be used for the high-efficiency sorting of differently sized cells in a continuous and passive manner. The proposed hand-held sorter is composed of a wheel-shaped all-in-one syringe inertial microfluidic sorter (i-sorter) with flow stabilizer units and two spring-driven mechanical syringe drivers. The release of the compression spring in the mechanical syringe driver through a one-click operation provides the flow driving force. Passive flow stabilizer units in the i-sorter enable flow-rate-sensitive inertial cell separation for the unstable driving flow rate generated by the low-cost mechanical syringe driver. We successfully achieved sorting of differently sized particles and high-efficiency separation of rare tumor cells from the blood using the fabricated prototype. Our hand-held inertial microfluidic cell sorter has many advantages, including low device cost, simple electricity-free operation, compactness, and portability; additionally, samples do not need to be pre-labelled. Therefore, it has potential for use in low-resource settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Xiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Zhonghua Ni
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
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17
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Hassanpour Tamrin S, Sanati Nezhad A, Sen A. Label-Free Isolation of Exosomes Using Microfluidic Technologies. ACS NANO 2021; 15:17047-17079. [PMID: 34723478 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c03469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Exosomes are cell-derived structures packaged with lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. They exist in diverse bodily fluids and are involved in physiological and pathological processes. Although their potential for clinical application as diagnostic and therapeutic tools has been revealed, a huge bottleneck impeding the development of applications in the rapidly burgeoning field of exosome research is an inability to efficiently isolate pure exosomes from other unwanted components present in bodily fluids. To date, several approaches have been proposed and investigated for exosome separation, with the leading candidate being microfluidic technology due to its relative simplicity, cost-effectiveness, precise and fast processing at the microscale, and amenability to automation. Notably, avoiding the need for exosome labeling represents a significant advance in terms of process simplicity, time, and cost as well as protecting the biological activities of exosomes. Despite the exciting progress in microfluidic strategies for exosome isolation and the countless benefits of label-free approaches for clinical applications, current microfluidic platforms for isolation of exosomes are still facing a series of problems and challenges that prevent their use for clinical sample processing. This review focuses on the recent microfluidic platforms developed for label-free isolation of exosomes including those based on sieving, deterministic lateral displacement, field flow, and pinched flow fractionation as well as viscoelastic, acoustic, inertial, electrical, and centrifugal forces. Further, we discuss advantages and disadvantages of these strategies with highlights of current challenges and outlook of label-free microfluidics toward the clinical utility of exosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Hassanpour Tamrin
- Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
- Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
- BioMEMS and Bioinspired Microfluidic Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, CCIT 125, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Amir Sanati Nezhad
- Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
- BioMEMS and Bioinspired Microfluidic Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, CCIT 125, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
- Center for Bioengineering Research and Education, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Arindom Sen
- Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
- Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
- Center for Bioengineering Research and Education, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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18
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Lin L, Chung CK. PDMS Microfabrication and Design for Microfluidics and Sustainable Energy Application: Review. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:1350. [PMID: 34832762 PMCID: PMC8625467 DOI: 10.3390/mi12111350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is popular for wide application in various fields of microfluidics, microneedles, biology, medicine, chemistry, optics, electronics, architecture, and emerging sustainable energy due to the intrinsic non-toxic, transparent, flexible, stretchable, biocompatible, hydrophobic, insulating, and negative triboelectric properties that meet different requirements. For example, the flexibility, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, good stability, and high transparency make PDMS a good candidate for the material selection of microfluidics, microneedles, biomedical, and chemistry microchips as well as for optical examination and wearable electronics. However, the hydrophobic surface and post-surface-treatment hydrophobic recovery impede the development of self-driven capillary microchips. How to develop a long-term hydrophilicity treatment for PDMS is crucial for capillary-driven microfluidics-based application. The dual-tone PDMS-to-PDMS casting for concave-and-convex microstructure without stiction is important for simplifying the process integration. The emerging triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) uses the transparent flexible PDMS as the high negative triboelectric material to make friction with metals or other positive-triboelectric material for harvesting sustainably mechanical energy. The morphology of PDMS is related to TENG performance. This review will address the above issues in terms of PDMS microfabrication and design for the efficient micromixer, microreactor, capillary pump, microneedles, and TENG for more practical applications in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chen-Kuei Chung
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Core Facility Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan;
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19
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Zhou Z, Chen Y, Zhu S, Liu L, Ni Z, Xiang N. Inertial microfluidics for high-throughput cell analysis and detection: a review. Analyst 2021; 146:6064-6083. [PMID: 34490431 DOI: 10.1039/d1an00983d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Since it was first proposed in 2007, inertial microfluidics has been extensively studied in terms of theory, design, fabrication, and application. In recent years, with the rapid development of microfabrication technologies, a variety of channel structures that can focus, concentrate, separate, and capture bioparticles or fluids have been designed and manufactured to extend the range of potential biomedical applications of inertial microfluidics. Due to the advantages of high throughput, simplicity, and low device cost, inertial microfluidics is a promising candidate for rapid sample processing, especially for large-volume samples with low-abundance targets. As an approach to cellular sample pretreatment, inertial microfluidics has been widely employed to ensure downstream cell analysis and detection. In this review, a comprehensive summary of the application of inertial microfluidics for high-throughput cell analysis and detection is presented. According to application areas, the recent advances can be sorted into label-free cell mechanical phenotyping, sheathless flow cytometric counting, electrical impedance cytometer, high-throughput cellular image analysis, and other methods. Finally, the challenges and prospects of inertial microfluidics for cell analysis and detection are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Zhou
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Yao Chen
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Shu Zhu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Linbo Liu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Zhonghua Ni
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Nan Xiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
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20
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Vargas-Ordaz EJ, Gorelick S, York HM, Liu B, Halls ML, Arumugam S, Neild A, de Marco A, Cadarso VJ. Three-dimensional imaging on a chip using optofluidics light-sheet fluorescence microscopy. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 21:2945-2954. [PMID: 34124739 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00098e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Volumetric, sub-micron to micron level resolution imaging is necessary to assay phenotypes or characteristics at the sub-cellular/organelle scale. However, three-dimensional fluorescence imaging of cells is typically low throughput or compromises on the achievable resolution in space and time. Here, we capitalise on the flow control capabilities of microfluidics and combine it with microoptics to integrate light-sheet based imaging directly into a microfluidic chip. Our optofluidic system flows suspended cells through a sub-micrometer thick light-sheet formed using micro-optical components that are cast directly in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). This design ensures accurate alignment, drift-free operation, and easy integration with conventional microfluidics, while providing sufficient spatial resolution, optical sectioning and volumetric data acquisition. We demonstrate imaging rates of 120 ms per cell at sub-μm resolution, that allow extraction of complex cellular phenotypes, exemplified by imaging of cell clusters, receptor distribution, and the analysis of endosomal size changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erick J Vargas-Ordaz
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia. and Centre to Impact Antimicrobial Resistance - Sustainable Solutions, Monash University, Clayton, 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sergey Gorelick
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, 3800 Clayton, Victoria, Australia. and ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, 3800 Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Harrison M York
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, 3800 Clayton, Victoria, Australia and European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Australia, Monash University, 3800 Clayton, Victoria, Australia and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, 3800 Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bonan Liu
- Drug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michelle L Halls
- Drug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Senthil Arumugam
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, 3800 Clayton, Victoria, Australia and European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Australia, Monash University, 3800 Clayton, Victoria, Australia and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, 3800 Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Adrian Neild
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
| | - Alex de Marco
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, 3800 Clayton, Victoria, Australia. and ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, 3800 Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Victor J Cadarso
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia. and Centre to Impact Antimicrobial Resistance - Sustainable Solutions, Monash University, Clayton, 3800, Victoria, Australia and The Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, Victorian Node - Australian National Fabrication Facility, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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21
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Formation dynamics and size prediction of bubbles for slurry system in T-shape microchannel. Chin J Chem Eng 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2021.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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22
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Butkutė A, Baravykas T, Stančikas J, Tičkūnas T, Vargalis R, Paipulas D, Sirutkaitis V, Jonušauskas L. Optimization of selective laser etching (SLE) for glass micromechanical structure fabrication. OPTICS EXPRESS 2021; 29:23487-23499. [PMID: 34614613 DOI: 10.1364/oe.430623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we show how femtosecond (fs) laser-based selective glass etching (SLE) can be used to expand capabilities in fabricating 3D structures out of a single piece of glass. First, an investigation of the etching process is performed, taking into account various laser parameters and scanning strategies. These results provide critical insights into the optimization of the process allowing to increase manufacturing throughput. Afterward, various complex 3D glass structures such as microfluidic elements embedded inside the volume of glass or channel systems with integrated functional elements are produced. A single helix spring of 1 mm diameter is also made, showing the possibility to compress it by 50%. Finally, 3D structuring capabilities are used to produce an assembly-free movable ball-joint-based chain and magnet-actuated Geneva mechanism. Due to minimized friction caused by low (down to 200 nm RMS) surface roughness of SLE-produced structures, the Geneva mechanism was shown to be capable of rotating up to 2000 RPM.
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23
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Butkutė A, Jonušauskas L. 3D Manufacturing of Glass Microstructures Using Femtosecond Laser. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:499. [PMID: 33925098 PMCID: PMC8145601 DOI: 10.3390/mi12050499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The rapid expansion of femtosecond (fs) laser technology brought previously unavailable capabilities to laser material processing. One of the areas which benefited the most due to these advances was the 3D processing of transparent dielectrics, namely glasses and crystals. This review is dedicated to overviewing the significant advances in the field. First, the underlying physical mechanism of material interaction with ultrashort pulses is discussed, highlighting how it can be exploited for volumetric, high-precision 3D processing. Next, three distinct transparent material modification types are introduced, fundamental differences between them are explained, possible applications are highlighted. It is shown that, due to the flexibility of fs pulse fabrication, an array of structures can be produced, starting with nanophotonic elements like integrated waveguides and photonic crystals, ending with a cm-scale microfluidic system with micro-precision integrated elements. Possible limitations to each processing regime as well as how these could be overcome are discussed. Further directions for the field development are highlighted, taking into account how it could synergize with other fs-laser-based manufacturing techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnė Butkutė
- Femtika Ltd., Saulėtekio Ave. 15, LT-10224 Vilnius, Lithuania
- Laser Research Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Ave. 10, LT-10223 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Linas Jonušauskas
- Femtika Ltd., Saulėtekio Ave. 15, LT-10224 Vilnius, Lithuania
- Laser Research Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Ave. 10, LT-10223 Vilnius, Lithuania
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24
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Zoupanou S, Chiriacò MS, Tarantini I, Ferrara F. Innovative 3D Microfluidic Tools for On-Chip Fluids and Particles Manipulation: From Design to Experimental Validation. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:mi12020104. [PMID: 33494413 PMCID: PMC7912382 DOI: 10.3390/mi12020104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Micromixers are essential components in lab-on-a-chip devices, of which the low efficiency can limit many bio-application studies. Effective mixing with automation capabilities is still a crucial requirement. In this paper, we present a method to fabricate a three-dimensional (3D) poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) fluidic mixer by combining computer-aided design (CAD), micromilling technology, and experimental application via manipulating fluids and nanoparticles. The entire platform consists of three microfabricated layers with a bottom reservoir-shaped microchannel, a central serpentine channel, and a through-hole for interconnection and an upper layer containing inlets and outlet. The sealing process of the three layers and the high-precision and customizable methods used for fabrication ensure the realization of the monolithic 3D architecture. This provides buried running channels able to perform passive chaotic mixing and dilution functions, thanks to a portion of the pathway in common between the reservoir and serpentine layers. The possibility to plug-and-play micropumping systems allows us to easily demonstrate the feasibility and working features of our device for tracking the mixing and dilution performances of the micromixer by using colored fluids and fluorescent nanoparticles as the proof of concept. Exploiting the good transparency of the PMMA, spatial liquid composition and better control over reaction variables are possible, and the real-time monitoring of experiments under a fluorescence microscope is also allowed. The tools shown in this paper are easily integrable in more complex lab-on-chip platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Zoupanou
- CNR NANOTEC—Institute of Nanotechnology, via per Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy;
- Department of Mathematics & Physics E. de Giorgi, via Arnesano, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy;
| | - Maria Serena Chiriacò
- CNR NANOTEC—Institute of Nanotechnology, via per Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy;
- Correspondence: (M.S.C.); (F.F.)
| | - Iolena Tarantini
- Department of Mathematics & Physics E. de Giorgi, via Arnesano, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy;
| | - Francesco Ferrara
- CNR NANOTEC—Institute of Nanotechnology, via per Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy;
- STMicroelectronics S.R.L., via per Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
- Correspondence: (M.S.C.); (F.F.)
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25
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Palumbo J, Navi M, Tsai SSH, Spelt JK, Papini M. Lab on a rod: Size-based particle separation and sorting in a helical channel. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2020; 14:064104. [PMID: 33224403 PMCID: PMC7661098 DOI: 10.1063/5.0030917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Size-based particle separation using inertial microfluidics in spiral channels has been well studied over the past decade. Though these devices can effectively separate particles, they require a relatively large device footprint with a typical outer channel radius of approximately 15 mm. In this paper, we describe a microfluidic device with a footprint diameter of 5.5 mm, containing a helical channel capable of inertial particle separation fabricated using abrasive jet micromachining. The separation of particles in several channel geometries was studied using wide-field fluorescence microscopy. A maximum separation efficiency of approximately 90% was achieved at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min with a purity of approximately 95% at the outlet, where large particles were collected. An accompanying computational fluid dynamics model was developed to allow researchers to quickly assess the separation capability of their helical or spiral devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Palumbo
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | | | | | - Jan K. Spelt
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed:, Tel.: +1 416 978 5435, Fax: +1 416 978 7753 and , Tel.: +1 416 979 5000 ext. 7655, Fax: +1 416 979 5265
| | - Marcello Papini
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed:, Tel.: +1 416 978 5435, Fax: +1 416 978 7753 and , Tel.: +1 416 979 5000 ext. 7655, Fax: +1 416 979 5265
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26
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Huang D, Man J, Jiang D, Zhao J, Xiang N. Inertial microfluidics: Recent advances. Electrophoresis 2020; 41:2166-2187. [PMID: 33027533 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202000134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Inertial microfluidics has attracted significant attentions in last decade due to its superior advantages of high throughput, label- and external field-free operation, simplicity, and low cost. A wide variety of channel geometry designs were demonstrated for focusing, concentrating, isolating, or separating of various bioparticles such as blood components, circulating tumor cells, bacteria, and microalgae. In this review, we first briefly introduce the physics of inertial migration and Dean flow for allowing the readers with diverse backgrounds to have a better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of inertial microfluidics. Then, we present a comprehensive review of the recent advances and applications of inertial microfluidic devices according to different channel geometries ranging from straight channels, curved channels to contraction-expansion-array channels. Finally, the challenges and future perspective of inertial microfluidics are discussed. Owing to its superior benefit for particle manipulation, the inertial microfluidics will play a more important role in biology and medicine applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Huang
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Province and Education Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center of Intelligent Mining Equipment, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, P. R. China
| | - Jiaxiang Man
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Province and Education Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center of Intelligent Mining Equipment, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, P. R. China
| | - Di Jiang
- School of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Jiyun Zhao
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Province and Education Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center of Intelligent Mining Equipment, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, P. R. China
| | - Nan Xiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, P. R. China
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27
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Tang W, Zhu S, Jiang D, Zhu L, Yang J, Xiang N. Channel innovations for inertial microfluidics. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:3485-3502. [PMID: 32910129 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00714e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Inertial microfluidics has gained significant attention since first being proposed in 2007 owing to the advantages of simplicity, high throughput, precise manipulation, and freedom from an external field. Superior performance in particle focusing, filtering, concentrating, and separating has been demonstrated. As a passive technology, inertial microfluidics technology relies on the unconventional use of fluid inertia in an intermediate Reynolds number range to induce inertial migration and secondary flow, which depend directly on the channel structure, leading to particle migration to the lateral equilibrium position or trapping in a specific cavity. With the advances in micromachining technology, many channel structures have been designed and fabricated in the past decade to explore the fundamentals and applications of inertial microfluidics. However, the channel innovations for inertial microfluidics have not been discussed comprehensively. In this review, the inertial particle manipulations and underlying physics in conventional channels, including straight, spiral, sinusoidal, and expansion-contraction channels, are briefly described. Then, recent innovations in channel structure for inertial microfluidics, especially channel pattern modification and unconventional cross-sectional shape, are reviewed. Finally, the prospects for future channel innovations in inertial microfluidic chips are also discussed. The purpose of this review is to provide guidance for the continued study of innovative channel designs to improve further the accuracy and throughput of inertial microfluidics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlai Tang
- School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Equipment and Manufacturing, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
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Choi YH, Kim JA, Lee W. Changes of Inertial Focusing Position in a Triangular Channel Depending on Droplet Deformability and Size. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:E839. [PMID: 32906834 PMCID: PMC7570260 DOI: 10.3390/mi11090839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Studies on cell separation with inertial microfluidics are often carried out with solid particles initially. When this condition is applied for actual cell separations, the efficiency typically becomes lower because of the polydispersity and deformability of cells. Therefore, the understanding of deformability-induced lift force is essential to achieve highly efficient cell separation. We investigate the inertial focusing positions of viscous droplets in a triangular channel while varying Re, deformability, and droplet size. With increasing Re and decreasing droplet size, the top focusing position splits and shifts along the sidewalls. The threshold size of the focusing position splitting increases for droplets with larger deformability. The overall path of the focusing position shifts with increasing Re also has a strong dependency on deformability. Consequently, droplets of the same size can have different focusing positions depending on their deformability. The feasibility of deformability-based cell separation is shown by different focusing positions of MCF10a and MCF7 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yo-han Choi
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea;
| | - Jeong-ah Kim
- Department of Physics, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Korea;
| | - Wonhee Lee
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea;
- Department of Physics, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Korea;
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Korea
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Howell J, Hammarton TC, Altmann Y, Jimenez M. High-speed particle detection and tracking in microfluidic devices using event-based sensing. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:3024-3035. [PMID: 32700715 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00556h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Visualising fluids and particles within channels is a key element of microfluidic work. Current imaging methods for particle image velocimetry often require expensive high-speed cameras with powerful illuminating sources, thus potentially limiting accessibility. This study explores for the first time the potential of an event-based camera for particle and fluid behaviour characterisation in a microfluidic system. Event-based cameras have the unique capacity to detect light intensity changes asynchronously and to record spatial and temporal information with low latency, low power and high dynamic range. Event-based cameras could consequently be relevant for detecting light intensity changes due to moving particles, chemical reactions or intake of fluorescent dyes by cells to mention a few. As a proof-of-principle, event-based sensing was tested in this work to detect 1 μm and 10 μm diameter particles flowing in a microfluidic channel for average fluid velocities of up to 1.54 m s-1. Importantly, experiments were performed by directly connecting the camera to a standard fluorescence microscope, only relying on the microscope arc lamp for illumination. We present a data processing strategy that allows particle detection and tracking in both bright-field and fluorescence imaging. Detection was achieved up to a fluid velocity of 1.54 m s-1 and tracking up to 0.4 m s-1 suggesting that event-based cameras could be a new paradigm shift in microscopic imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessie Howell
- Biomedical Engineering Division, James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8LT, UK.
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Investigation on Inertial Sorter Coupled with Magnetophoretic Effect for Nonmagnetic Microparticles. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:mi11060566. [PMID: 32486500 PMCID: PMC7344843 DOI: 10.3390/mi11060566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The sizes of most prokaryotic cells are several microns. It is very difficult to separate cells with similar sizes. A sorter with a contraction–expansion microchannel and applied magnetic field is designed to sort microparticles with diameters of 3, 4 and 5 microns. To evaluate the sorting efficiency of the designed sorter, numerical simulations for calculating the distributions of microparticles with similar sizes were carried out for various magnetic fields, inlet velocities, sheath flow ratios and structural parameters. The numerical results indicate that micro-particles with diameters of 3, 4 and 5 microns can be sorted efficiently in such a sorter within appropriate parameters. Furthermore, it is shown that a bigger particle size and more powerful magnetic field can result in a greater lateral migration of microparticles. The sorting efficiency of microparticles promotes a lower inlet velocity and greater sheath flow ratios. A smaller contraction–expansion ratio can induce a greater space between particle-bands. Finally, the micro particle image velocity (micro-PIV) experiments were conducted to obtain the bandwidths and spaces between particle-bands. The comparisons between the numerical and experimental results show a good agreement and make the validity of the numerical results certain.
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Naseri M, Simon GP, Batchelor W. Development of a Paper-Based Microfluidic System for a Continuous High-Flow-Rate Fluid Manipulation. Anal Chem 2020; 92:7307-7316. [PMID: 32290646 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c01003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The current study describes the development of a disposable paper-based microfluidic system, which unlike its predecessors that are only capable of processing a small amount of fluid, can continuously process the fluid at a high flow rate of up to 1.5 mL/min. The fabrication procedure was clean-room-free and robust, involving the use of a CO2 laser to engrave the microchannels on a paper substrate, followed by alkenyl ketene dimer treatment to hydrophobize the paper and lamination. The microchannel down to a minimum depth of ∼80 μm with an average roughness of ∼8 μm was engraved on the substrate. As a proof of concept, the applicability of this system to enrich the microparticles based on the inertial focusing mechanism was tested. This new generation of paper-based microfluidic system can be potentially used for the diagnostic applications where the analyte is low in quantity and processing a large volume of fluid sample is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahdi Naseri
- Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia (BioPRIA), Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - George P Simon
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Warren Batchelor
- Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia (BioPRIA), Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
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A Review of Secondary Flow in Inertial Microfluidics. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:mi11050461. [PMID: 32354106 PMCID: PMC7280964 DOI: 10.3390/mi11050461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Inertial microfluidic technology, which can manipulate the target particle entirely relying on the microchannel characteristic geometry and intrinsic hydrodynamic effect, has attracted great attention due to its fascinating advantages of high throughput, simplicity, high resolution and low cost. As a passive microfluidic technology, inertial microfluidics can precisely focus, separate, mix or trap target particles in a continuous and high-flow-speed manner without any extra external force field. Therefore, it is promising and has great potential for a wide range of industrial, biomedical and clinical applications. In the regime of inertial microfluidics, particle migration due to inertial effects forms multiple equilibrium positions in straight channels. However, this is not promising for particle detection and separation. Secondary flow, which is a relatively minor flow perpendicular to the primary flow, may reduce the number of equilibrium positions as well as modify the location of particles focusing within channel cross sections by applying an additional hydrodynamic drag. For secondary flow, the pattern and magnitude can be controlled by the well-designed channel structure, such as curvature or disturbance obstacle. The magnitude and form of generated secondary flow are greatly dependent on the disturbing microstructure. Therefore, many inventive and delicate applications of secondary flow in inertial microfluidics have been reported. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the usage of the secondary flow in inertial microfluidics.
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Razavi Bazaz S, Rouhi O, Raoufi MA, Ejeian F, Asadnia M, Jin D, Ebrahimi Warkiani M. 3D Printing of Inertial Microfluidic Devices. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5929. [PMID: 32246111 PMCID: PMC7125121 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62569-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Inertial microfluidics has been broadly investigated, resulting in the development of various applications, mainly for particle or cell separation. Lateral migrations of these particles within a microchannel strictly depend on the channel design and its cross-section. Nonetheless, the fabrication of these microchannels is a continuous challenging issue for the microfluidic community, where the most studied channel cross-sections are limited to only rectangular and more recently trapezoidal microchannels. As a result, a huge amount of potential remains intact for other geometries with cross-sections difficult to fabricate with standard microfabrication techniques. In this study, by leveraging on benefits of additive manufacturing, we have proposed a new method for the fabrication of inertial microfluidic devices. In our proposed workflow, parts are first printed via a high-resolution DLP/SLA 3D printer and then bonded to a transparent PMMA sheet using a double-coated pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. Using this method, we have fabricated and tested a plethora of existing inertial microfluidic devices, whether in a single or multiplexed manner, such as straight, spiral, serpentine, curvilinear, and contraction-expansion arrays. Our characterizations using both particles and cells revealed that the produced chips could withstand a pressure up to 150 psi with minimum interference of the tape to the total functionality of the device and viability of cells. As a showcase of the versatility of our method, we have proposed a new spiral microchannel with right-angled triangular cross-section which is technically impossible to fabricate using the standard lithography. We are of the opinion that the method proposed in this study will open the door for more complex geometries with the bespoke passive internal flow. Furthermore, the proposed fabrication workflow can be adopted at the production level, enabling large-scale manufacturing of inertial microfluidic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajad Razavi Bazaz
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
- Institute for Biomedical Materials & Devices (IBMD), Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Omid Rouhi
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Mohammad Amin Raoufi
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Fatemeh Ejeian
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Mohsen Asadnia
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Dayong Jin
- Institute for Biomedical Materials & Devices (IBMD), Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
- SUStech-UTS joint Research Centre for Biomedical Materials & Devices, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P.R. China
| | - Majid Ebrahimi Warkiani
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.
- Institute for Biomedical Materials & Devices (IBMD), Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.
- SUStech-UTS joint Research Centre for Biomedical Materials & Devices, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P.R. China.
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Sechenov University, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
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Raoufi MA, Razavi Bazaz S, Niazmand H, Rouhi O, Asadnia M, Razmjou A, Ebrahimi Warkiani M. Fabrication of unconventional inertial microfluidic channels using wax 3D printing. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:2448-2459. [PMID: 31984393 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm02067e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Inertial microfluidics has emerged over the past decade as a powerful tool to accurately control cells and microparticles for diverse biological and medical applications. Many approaches have been proposed to date in order to increase the efficiency and accuracy of inertial microfluidic systems. However, the effects of channel cross-section and solution properties (Newtonian or non-Newtonian) have not been fully explored, primarily due to limitations in current microfabrication methods. In this study, we overcome many of these limitations using wax 3D printing technology and soft lithography through a novel workflow, which eliminates the need for the use of silicon lithography and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) bonding. We have shown that by adding dummy structures to reinforce the main channels, optimizing the gap between the dummy and main structures, and dissolving the support wax on a PDMS slab to minimize the additional handling steps, one can make various non-conventional microchannels. These substantially improve upon previous wax printed microfluidic devices where the working area falls into the realm of macrofluidics rather than microfluidics. Results revealed a surface roughness of 1.75 μm for the printed channels, which does not affect the performance of inertial microfluidic devices used in this study. Channels with complex cross-sections were fabricated and then analyzed to investigate the effects of viscoelasticity and superposition on the lateral migration of the particles. Finally, as a proof of concept, microcarriers were separated from human mesenchymal stem cells using an optimized channel with maximum cell-holding capacity, demonstrating the suitability of these microchannels in the bioprocessing industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Amin Raoufi
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
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35
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Tang W, Liu H, Zhu L, Shi J, Li Z, Xiang N, Yang J. Fabrication of Different Microchannels by Adjusting the Extrusion Parameters for Sacrificial Molds. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:mi10080544. [PMID: 31426534 PMCID: PMC6723064 DOI: 10.3390/mi10080544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Using the 3D printed mold-removal method to fabricate microchannel has become a promising alternative to the conventional soft lithography technique, due to the convenience in printing channel mold and the compatibility with PDMS material. Although having great potential, the use of single filament extruded by fused deposition modeling (FDM) as the sacrificial channel mold has not been elaborately studied. In this paper, we demonstrate the fabrication of microchannels with different structure and size by controllably extruding the sacrificial channel molds. The influences of the main processing parameters including working distance, extrusion amount and printing speed on the printed microchannels are systematically investigated. The results show that, the circular and low-aspect-ratio straight microchannels with different sizes can be fabricated by adjusting the extrusion amounts. The sinusoidal, 3D curved and cross-linked curved microchannels along straight path can be fabricated, either independently or in combination, by the combined control of the working distance, extrusion amount and printing speed. The complex microchannels with different structural features can also be printed along curved serpentine, rectangular serpentine, and spiral paths. This paper presents a simple and powerful method to fabricate the complex microchannels with different structure and size by just controlling the processing parameters for extruding channel molds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlai Tang
- School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Equipment and Manufacturing, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
- Nanjing Institute of Intelligent High-end Equipment Industry Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210042, China.
| | - Hao Liu
- School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Equipment and Manufacturing, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Liya Zhu
- School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Equipment and Manufacturing, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jianping Shi
- School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Equipment and Manufacturing, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Zongan Li
- School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Equipment and Manufacturing, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Nan Xiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Jiquan Yang
- School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Equipment and Manufacturing, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
- Nanjing Institute of Intelligent High-end Equipment Industry Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210042, China.
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37
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Ma X, Zhang Y, Weisensee K. Conducting Polymeric Nanocomposites with a Three-Dimensional Co-flow Microfluidics Platform. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:mi10060383. [PMID: 31181652 PMCID: PMC6630245 DOI: 10.3390/mi10060383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The nanoprecipitation of polymers is of great interest in biological and medicinal applications. Many approaches are available, but few generalized methods can fabricate structurally different biocompatible polymers into nanosized particles with a narrow distribution in a high-throughput manner. We simply integrate a glass slide, capillary, and metal needle into a simple microfluidics device. Herein, a detailed protocol is provided for using the glass capillary and slides to fabricate the microfluidics devices used in this work. To demonstrate the generality of our nanoprecipitation approach and platform, four (semi)natural polymers—acetalated dextran (Ac-DEX), spermine acetalated dextran (Sp-Ac-DEX), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and chitosan—were tested and benchmarked by the polymeric particle size and polydispersity. More importantly, the principal objective was to explore the influence of some key parameters on nanoparticle size due to its importance for a variety of applications. The polymer concentration, the solvent/non-solvent volume rate/ratio, and opening of the inner capillary were varied so as to obtain polymeric nanoparticles (NPs). Dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and optical microscopy are the main techniques used to evaluate the nanoprecipitation output. It turns out that the concentration of polymer most strongly determines the particle size and distribution, followed by the solvent/non-solvent volume rate/ratio, whereas the opening of the inner capillary shows a minor effect. The obtained NPs were smooth spheres with adjustable particle diameters and polymer-dependent surface potentials, both negative and positive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodong Ma
- Xi'an Institute of Flexible Electronics & Xi'an Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi'an 710072, China.
| | - Yuezhou Zhang
- Xi'an Institute of Flexible Electronics & Xi'an Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi'an 710072, China.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science Laboratory, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland.
| | - Korbinian Weisensee
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science Laboratory, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland.
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38
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Self-Learning Microfluidic Platform for Single-Cell Imaging and Classification in Flow. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:mi10050311. [PMID: 31075890 PMCID: PMC6563144 DOI: 10.3390/mi10050311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Single-cell analysis commonly requires the confinement of cell suspensions in an analysis chamber or the precise positioning of single cells in small channels. Hydrodynamic flow focusing has been broadly utilized to achieve stream confinement in microchannels for such applications. As imaging flow cytometry gains popularity, the need for imaging-compatible microfluidic devices that allow for precise confinement of single cells in small volumes becomes increasingly important. At the same time, high-throughput single-cell imaging of cell populations produces vast amounts of complex data, which gives rise to the need for versatile algorithms for image analysis. In this work, we present a microfluidics-based platform for single-cell imaging in-flow and subsequent image analysis using variational autoencoders for unsupervised characterization of cellular mixtures. We use simple and robust Y-shaped microfluidic devices and demonstrate precise 3D particle confinement towards the microscope slide for high-resolution imaging. To demonstrate applicability, we use these devices to confine heterogeneous mixtures of yeast species, brightfield-image them in-flow and demonstrate fully unsupervised, as well as few-shot classification of single-cell images with 88% accuracy.
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39
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Xiang N, Zhang R, Han Y, Ni Z. A Multilayer Polymer-Film Inertial Microfluidic Device for High-Throughput Cell Concentration. Anal Chem 2019; 91:5461-5468. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b01116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nan Xiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, People’s Republic of China
| | - Rui Zhang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yu Han
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhonghua Ni
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, People’s Republic of China
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40
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Serhatlioglu M, Asghari M, Tahsin Guler M, Elbuken C. Impedance-based viscoelastic flow cytometry. Electrophoresis 2019; 40:906-913. [PMID: 30632175 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201800365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Elastic nature of the viscoelastic fluids induces lateral migration of particles into a single streamline and can be used by microfluidic based flow cytometry devices. In this study, we investigated focusing efficiency of polyethylene oxide based viscoelastic solutions at varying ionic concentration to demonstrate their use in impedimetric particle characterization systems. Rheological properties of the viscoelastic fluid and particle focusing performance are not affected by ionic concentration. We investigated the viscoelastic focusing dynamics using polystyrene (PS) beads and human red blood cells (RBCs) suspended in the viscoelastic fluid. Elasto-inertial focusing of PS beads was achieved with the combination of inertial and viscoelastic effects. RBCs were aligned along the channel centerline in parachute shape which yielded consistent impedimetric signals. We compared our impedance-based microfluidic flow cytometry results for RBCs and PS beads by analyzing particle transit time and peak amplitude at varying viscoelastic focusing conditions obtained at different flow rates. We showed that single orientation, single train focusing of nonspherical RBCs can be achieved with polyethylene oxide based viscoelastic solution that has been shown to be a good candidate as a carrier fluid for impedance cytometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murat Serhatlioglu
- UNAM-National Nanotechnology Research Center and Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mohammad Asghari
- UNAM-National Nanotechnology Research Center and Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Caglar Elbuken
- UNAM-National Nanotechnology Research Center and Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
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41
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Interlaced Laser Beam Scanning: A Method Enabling an Increase in the Throughput of Ultrafast Laser Machining of Borosilicate Glass. JOURNAL OF MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS PROCESSING 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/jmmp3010014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
We provide experimental evidence that the laser beam scanning strategy has a significant influence on material removal rate in the ultrafast laser machining of glass. A comparative study of two laser beam scanning methods, (i) bidirectional sequential scanning method (SM) and (ii) bidirectional interlaced scanning method (IM), is presented for micromachining 1.1-mm-thick borosilicate glass plates (Borofloat® 33). Material removal rate and surface roughness are measured for a range of pulse energies, overlaps, and repetition frequencies. With a pulse overlap of ≤90%, IM can provide double the ablation depth and double the removal rate in comparison to SM, whilst maintaining very similar surface roughness. In both cases, the root-mean-square (RMS) surface roughness (Sq) was in the range of 1 μm to 2.5 μm. For a 95% pulse overlap, the difference was more pronounced, with IM providing up to four times the ablation depth of SM; however, this is at the cost of a significant increase in surface roughness (Sq values >5 μm). The increased ablation depths and removal rates with IM are attributed to a layer-by-layer material removal process, providing more efficient ejection of glass particles and, hence, reduced shielding of the machined area. IM also has smaller local angles of incidence of the laser beam that potentially can lead to a better coupling efficiency of the laser beam with the material.
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Al-Halhouli A, Albagdady A, Dietzel A. Sheath-less high throughput inertial separation of small microparticles in spiral microchannels with trapezoidal cross-section. RSC Adv 2019; 9:41970-41976. [PMID: 35541623 PMCID: PMC9076541 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra05916d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Various mechanisms of different designs have emerged for the purpose of microparticle separation and cell sorting. The main goals behind such designs are to create high throughput and high purity sample isolation. In this study, high efficiency, high throughput and precise separation of microparticles under inertial lift and drag forces induced by trapezoidal curvilinear channels are reported. This work is the first to focus and recover 2 from 5 μm and 2 from 10 μm particles in spiral channels in a sheath-less flow device, which reduces the overall complexity of the system and allows for higher throughput. The new microfluidic chip design is fabricated in glass using femtosecond laser ablation. In addition, mathematical force calculations were conducted during the design phase of the microfluidic channels and compared with experiments. The results show a close prediction of the equilibrium position of the tested microparticles. This work is the first to focus and recover 2 from 5 μm and 2 from 10 μm particles in spiral channels in a sheath-less flow device, which reduces the overall complexity of the system and allows for higher throughput.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ahmed Albagdady
- NanoLab
- School of Applied Technical Sciences
- German Jordanian University (GJU)
- Amman
- Jordan
| | - Andreas Dietzel
- Institut für Mikrotechnik
- Technische Universität Braunschweig
- Braunschweig
- Germany
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Stoecklein
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Dino Di Carlo
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
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Paiè P, Martínez Vázquez R, Osellame R, Bragheri F, Bassi A. Microfluidic Based Optical Microscopes on Chip. Cytometry A 2018; 93:987-996. [PMID: 30211977 PMCID: PMC6220811 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.23589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Last decade's advancements in optofluidics allowed obtaining an ever increasing integration of different functionalities in lab on chip devices to culture, analyze, and manipulate single cells and entire biological specimens. Despite the importance of optical imaging for biological sample monitoring in microfluidics, imaging is traditionally achieved by placing microfluidics channels in standard bench-top optical microscopes. Recently, the development of either integrated optical elements or lensless imaging methods allowed optical imaging techniques to be implemented in lab on chip systems, thus increasing their automation, compactness, and portability. In this review, we discuss known solutions to implement microscopes on chip that exploit different optical methods such as bright-field, phase contrast, holographic, and fluorescence microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Paiè
- Istituto di Fotonica e NanotecnologieConsiglio Nazionale dell RicerchePiazza Leonardo da Vinci 3220133 MilanItaly
| | - Rebeca Martínez Vázquez
- Istituto di Fotonica e NanotecnologieConsiglio Nazionale dell RicerchePiazza Leonardo da Vinci 3220133 MilanItaly
| | - Roberto Osellame
- Istituto di Fotonica e NanotecnologieConsiglio Nazionale dell RicerchePiazza Leonardo da Vinci 3220133 MilanItaly
- Dipartimento di FisicaPolitecnico di MilanoPiazza Leonardo da Vinci 3220133 MilanItaly
| | - Francesca Bragheri
- Istituto di Fotonica e NanotecnologieConsiglio Nazionale dell RicerchePiazza Leonardo da Vinci 3220133 MilanItaly
| | - Andrea Bassi
- Istituto di Fotonica e NanotecnologieConsiglio Nazionale dell RicerchePiazza Leonardo da Vinci 3220133 MilanItaly
- Dipartimento di FisicaPolitecnico di MilanoPiazza Leonardo da Vinci 3220133 MilanItaly
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45
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Sharafeldin M, Jones A, Rusling JF. 3D-Printed Biosensor Arrays for Medical Diagnostics. MICROMACHINES 2018; 9:E394. [PMID: 30424327 PMCID: PMC6187244 DOI: 10.3390/mi9080394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
While the technology is relatively new, low-cost 3D printing has impacted many aspects of human life. 3D printers are being used as manufacturing tools for a wide variety of devices in a spectrum of applications ranging from diagnosis to implants to external prostheses. The ease of use, availability of 3D-design software and low cost has made 3D printing an accessible manufacturing and fabrication tool in many bioanalytical research laboratories. 3D printers can print materials with varying density, optical character, strength and chemical properties that provide the user with a vast array of strategic options. In this review, we focus on applications in biomedical diagnostics and how this revolutionary technique is facilitating the development of low-cost, sensitive, and often geometrically complex tools. 3D printing in the fabrication of microfluidics, supporting equipment, and optical and electronic components of diagnostic devices is presented. Emerging diagnostics systems using 3D bioprinting as a tool to incorporate living cells or biomaterials into 3D printing is also reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Sharafeldin
- Department of Chemistry (U-3060), University of Connecticut, 55 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
- Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Sharkia, Egypt.
| | - Abby Jones
- Department of Chemistry (U-3060), University of Connecticut, 55 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
| | - James F Rusling
- Department of Chemistry (U-3060), University of Connecticut, 55 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
- Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, 97 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
- Department of Surgery and Neag Cancer Center, UConn Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA.
- School of Chemistry, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
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Sinha H, Quach ABV, Vo PQN, Shih SCC. An automated microfluidic gene-editing platform for deciphering cancer genes. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:2300-2312. [PMID: 29989627 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00470f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Gene-editing techniques such as RNA-guided endonuclease systems are becoming increasingly popular for phenotypic screening. Such screens are normally conducted in arrayed or pooled formats. There has been considerable interest in recent years to find new technological methods for conducting these gene-editing assays. We report here the first digital microfluidic method that can automate arrayed gene-editing in mammalian cells. Specifically, this method was useful in culturing lung cancer cells for up to six days, as well as implementing automated gene transfection and knockout procedures. In addition, a standardized imaging pipeline to analyse fluorescently labelled cells was also designed and implemented during these procedures. A gene editing assay for interrogating the MAPK/ERK pathway was performed to show the utility of our platform and to determine the effects of knocking out the RAF1 gene in lung cancer cells. In addition to gene knockout, we also treated the cells with an inhibitor, Sorafenib Tosylate, to determine the effects of enzymatic inhibition. The combination of enzymatic inhibition and guide targeting on device resulted in lower drug concentrations for achieving half-inhibitory effects (IC50) compared to cells treated only with the inhibitor, confirming that lung cancer cells are being successfully edited on the device. We propose that this system will be useful for other types of gene-editing assays and applications related to personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Sinha
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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47
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Gou Y, Jia Y, Wang P, Sun C. Progress of Inertial Microfluidics in Principle and Application. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2018; 18:E1762. [PMID: 29857563 PMCID: PMC6021949 DOI: 10.3390/s18061762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Inertial microfluidics has become a popular topic in microfluidics research for its good performance in particle manipulation and its advantages of simple structure, high throughput, and freedom from an external field. Compared with traditional microfluidic devices, the flow field in inertial microfluidics is between Stokes state and turbulence, whereas the flow is still regarded as laminar. However, many mechanical effects induced by the inertial effect are difficult to observe in traditional microfluidics, making particle motion analysis in inertial microfluidics more complicated. In recent years, the inertial migration effect in straight and curved channels has been explored theoretically and experimentally to realize on-chip manipulation with extensive applications from the ordinary manipulation of particles to biochemical analysis. In this review, the latest theoretical achievements and force analyses of inertial microfluidics and its development process are introduced, and its applications in circulating tumor cells, exosomes, DNA, and other biological particles are summarized. Finally, the future development of inertial microfluidics is discussed. Owing to its special advantages in particle manipulation, inertial microfluidics will play a more important role in integrated biochips and biomolecule analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixing Gou
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
| | - Yixuan Jia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Peng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
| | - Changku Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
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48
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Luo T, Fan L, Zeng Y, Liu Y, Chen S, Tan Q, Lam RHW, Sun D. A simplified sheathless cell separation approach using combined gravitational-sedimentation-based prefocusing and dielectrophoretic separation. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:1521-1532. [PMID: 29725680 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00173a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Prefocusing of the cell mixture is necessary for achieving a high-efficiency and continuous dielectrophoretic (DEP) cell separation. However, prefocusing through sheath flow requires a complex and tedious peripheral system for multi-channel fluid control, hindering the integration of DEP separation systems with other microfluidic functionalities for comprehensive clinical and biological tasks. This paper presented a simplified sheathless cell separation approach that combines gravitational-sedimentation-based sheathless prefocusing and DEP separation methods. Through gravitational sedimentation in a tubing, which was inserted into the inlet of a microfluidic chip with an adjustable steering angle, the cells were focused into a stream at the upstream region of a microchannel prior to separation. Then, a DEP force was applied at the downstream region of the microchannel for the active separation of the cells. Through this combined strategy, the peripheral system for the sheath flow was no longer required, and thus the integration of cell separation system with additional microfluidic functionalities was facilitated. The proposed sheathless scheme focused the mixture of cells with different sizes and dielectric properties into a stream in a wide range of flow rates without changing the design of the microfluidic chip. The DEP method is a label-free approach that can continuously separate cells on the basis of the sizes or dielectric properties of the cells and thus capable of greatly flexible cell separation. The efficiency of the proposed approach was experimentally assessed according to its performance in the separation of human acute monocytic leukemia THP-1 cells from yeast cells with respect to different sizes and THP-1 cells from human acute myelomonocytic leukemia OCI-AML3 cells with respect to different dielectric properties. The experimental results revealed that the separation efficiency of the method can surpass 90% and thus effective in separating cells on the basis of either size or dielectric property.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Luo
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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49
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Jung BJ, Kim J, Kim JA, Jang H, Seo S, Lee W. PDMS-Parylene Hybrid, Flexible Microfluidics for Real-Time Modulation of 3D Helical Inertial Microfluidics. MICROMACHINES 2018; 9:E255. [PMID: 30424188 PMCID: PMC6187561 DOI: 10.3390/mi9060255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Revised: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Inertial microfluidics has drawn much attention for its applications for circulating tumor cell separations from blood. The fluid flows and the inertial particle focusing in inertial microfluidic systems are highly dependent on the channel geometry and structure. Flexible microfluidic systems can have adjustable 3D channel geometries by curving planar 2D channels into 3D structures, which will enable tunable inertial separation. We present a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-parylene hybrid thin-film microfluidic system that can provide high flexibility for 3D channel shaping while maintaining the channel cross-sectional shape. The PDMS-parylene hybrid microfluidic channels were fabricated by a molding and bonding technique using initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) bonding. We constructed 3D helical inertial microfluidic channels by coiling a straight 2D channel and studied the inertial focusing while varying radius of curvature and Reynolds number. This thin film structure allows for high channel curvature and high Dean numbers which leads to faster inertial particle focusing and shorter channel lengths than 2D spiral channels. Most importantly, the focusing positions of particles and cells in the microchannel can be tuned in real time by simply modulating the channel curvature. The simple mechanical modulation of these 3D structure microfluidic systems is expected to provide unique advantages of convenient tuning of cell separation thresholds with a single device.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bum-Joon Jung
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea.
| | - Jihye Kim
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea.
| | - Jeong-Ah Kim
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea.
| | - Hansol Jang
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea.
| | - Sumin Seo
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea.
| | - Wonhee Lee
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea.
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea.
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Lölsberg J, Linkhorst J, Cinar A, Jans A, Kuehne AJC, Wessling M. 3D nanofabrication inside rapid prototyped microfluidic channels showcased by wet-spinning of single micrometre fibres. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:1341-1348. [PMID: 29619449 DOI: 10.1039/c7lc01366c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidics is an established multidisciplinary research domain with widespread applications in the fields of medicine, biotechnology and engineering. Conventional production methods of microfluidic chips have been limited to planar structures, preventing the exploitation of truly three-dimensional architectures for applications such as multi-phase droplet preparation or wet-phase fibre spinning. Here the challenge of nanofabrication inside a microfluidic chip is tackled for the showcase of a spider-inspired spinneret. Multiphoton lithography, an additive manufacturing method, was used to produce free-form microfluidic masters, subsequently replicated by soft lithography. Into the resulting microfluidic device, a three-dimensional spider-inspired spinneret was directly fabricated in-chip via multiphoton lithography. Applying this unprecedented fabrication strategy, the to date smallest printed spinneret nozzle is produced. This spinneret resides tightly sealed, connecting it to the macroscopic world. Its functionality is demonstrated by wet-spinning of single-digit micron fibres through a polyacrylonitrile coagulation process induced by a water sheath layer. The methodology developed here demonstrates fabrication strategies to interface complex architectures into classical microfluidic platforms. Using multiphoton lithography for in-chip fabrication adopts a high spatial resolution technology for improving geometry and thus flow control inside microfluidic chips. The showcased fabrication methodology is generic and will be applicable to multiple challenges in fluid control and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Lölsberg
- DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstr. 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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