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Wippold JA, Chu M, Renberg R, Li Y, Adams B, Han A. XPORT ENTRAP: A droplet microfluidic platform for enhanced DNA transfer between microbial species. N Biotechnol 2024; 81:10-19. [PMID: 38408724 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2024.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
A significant hurdle for the widespread implementation and use of synthetic biology is the challenge of highly efficient introduction of DNA into microorganisms. This is especially a barrier for the utilization of non-model organisms and/or novel chassis species for a variety of applications, ranging from molecular biology to biotechnology and biomanufacturing applications. Common approaches to episomal and chromosomal gene editing, which employ techniques such as chemical competence and electroporation, are typically only amenable to a small subset of microbial species while leaving the vast majority of microorganisms in nature genetically inaccessible. To address this challenge, we have employed the previously described B. subtilis broad-host conjugation strain, XPORT, which was modularly designed for loading DNA cargo and conjugating such DNA into recalcitrant microbes. In this current work, we have leveraged and adapted the XPORT strain for use in a droplet microfluidic platform to enable increased efficiency of conjugation-based DNA transfer. The system named DNA ENTRAP (DNA ENhanced TRAnsfer Platform) utilizes cell-encapsulated water-in-oil emulsion droplets as pico-liter-volume bioreactors that allows controlled contacts between the donor and receiver cells within the emulsion bioreactor. This allowed enhanced XPORT-mediated genetic transfer over the current benchtop XPORT process, demonstrated using two different Bacillus subtilis strains (donor and receiver), as well as increased throughput (e.g., number of successfully conjugated cells) due to the automated assay steps inherent to microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems. DNA ENTRAP paves the way for a streamlined automation of culturing and XPORT-mediated genetic transfer processes as well as future high-throughput cell engineering and screening applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose A Wippold
- United States Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory - DEVCOM ARL, Adelphi, MD, USA
| | - Monica Chu
- United States Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory - DEVCOM ARL, Adelphi, MD, USA
| | - Rebecca Renberg
- United States Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory - DEVCOM ARL, Adelphi, MD, USA
| | - Yuwen Li
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, USA
| | - Bryn Adams
- United States Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory - DEVCOM ARL, Adelphi, MD, USA.
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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Gantz M, Neun S, Medcalf EJ, van Vliet LD, Hollfelder F. Ultrahigh-Throughput Enzyme Engineering and Discovery in In Vitro Compartments. Chem Rev 2023; 123:5571-5611. [PMID: 37126602 PMCID: PMC10176489 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Novel and improved biocatalysts are increasingly sourced from libraries via experimental screening. The success of such campaigns is crucially dependent on the number of candidates tested. Water-in-oil emulsion droplets can replace the classical test tube, to provide in vitro compartments as an alternative screening format, containing genotype and phenotype and enabling a readout of function. The scale-down to micrometer droplet diameters and picoliter volumes brings about a >107-fold volume reduction compared to 96-well-plate screening. Droplets made in automated microfluidic devices can be integrated into modular workflows to set up multistep screening protocols involving various detection modes to sort >107 variants a day with kHz frequencies. The repertoire of assays available for droplet screening covers all seven enzyme commission (EC) number classes, setting the stage for widespread use of droplet microfluidics in everyday biochemical experiments. We review the practicalities of adapting droplet screening for enzyme discovery and for detailed kinetic characterization. These new ways of working will not just accelerate discovery experiments currently limited by screening capacity but profoundly change the paradigms we can probe. By interfacing the results of ultrahigh-throughput droplet screening with next-generation sequencing and deep learning, strategies for directed evolution can be implemented, examined, and evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Gantz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Rd, Cambridge CB2 1GA, U.K
| | - Stefanie Neun
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Rd, Cambridge CB2 1GA, U.K
| | - Elliot J Medcalf
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Rd, Cambridge CB2 1GA, U.K
| | - Liisa D van Vliet
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Rd, Cambridge CB2 1GA, U.K
| | - Florian Hollfelder
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Rd, Cambridge CB2 1GA, U.K
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Alias AB, Mishra S, Pendharkar G, Chen CS, Liu CH, Liu YJ, Yao DJ. Microfluidic Microalgae System: A Review. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27061910. [PMID: 35335274 PMCID: PMC8954360 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27061910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Microalgae that have recently captivated interest worldwide are a great source of renewable, sustainable and economical biofuels. The extensive potential application in the renewable energy, biopharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries have made them necessary resources for green energy. Microalgae can substitute liquid fossil fuels based on cost, renewability and environmental concern. Microfluidic-based systems outperform their competitors by executing many functions, such as sorting and analysing small volumes of samples (nanolitre to picolitre) with better sensitivities. In this review, we consider the developing uses of microfluidic technology on microalgal processes such as cell sorting, cultivation, harvesting and applications in biofuels and biosensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anand Baby Alias
- Institute of NanoEngineering and MicroSystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan; (A.B.A.); (S.M.); (C.-H.L.)
| | - Shubhanvit Mishra
- Institute of NanoEngineering and MicroSystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan; (A.B.A.); (S.M.); (C.-H.L.)
| | - Gaurav Pendharkar
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan;
| | - Chi-Shuo Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan;
| | - Cheng-Hsien Liu
- Institute of NanoEngineering and MicroSystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan; (A.B.A.); (S.M.); (C.-H.L.)
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan;
| | - Yi-Ju Liu
- Food Industry Research and Development Institute, Hsinchu 300193, Taiwan;
| | - Da-Jeng Yao
- Institute of NanoEngineering and MicroSystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan; (A.B.A.); (S.M.); (C.-H.L.)
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan;
- Correspondence:
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Sun M, Maryu G, Wang S, Yang Q, Bailey RC. Plug-in tubes allow tunable oil removal, droplet packing, and reaction incubation for time-controlled droplet-based assays. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2021; 15:024108. [PMID: 33841602 PMCID: PMC8024030 DOI: 10.1063/5.0047924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Here, we report a unique microfluidic technique that utilizes a membrane filter and plug-in tubes to remove oil and pack water-in-oil droplets for controlled incubation of droplet-based assays. This technique could be modularly incorporated into most droplet-generation devices without a need to alter the original designs. Our results show that removing excess oil to form tightly packed droplets allows for extended and controllable incubation for droplets traveling in microchannels. The efficiency of this technique was evaluated and confirmed using a time-dependent enzyme assay with a fluorometric readout. The system is also readily generalizable to control inter-droplet distance, crucial for studying droplet communication and pattern formation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gembu Maryu
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Shiyuan Wang
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Qiong Yang
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Ryan C. Bailey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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Zhang H, Guzman AR, Wippold JA, Li Y, Dai J, Huang C, Han A. An ultra high-efficiency droplet microfluidics platform using automatically synchronized droplet pairing and merging. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:3948-3959. [PMID: 32935710 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00757a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics systems hold great promise in their ability to conduct high-throughput assays for a broad range of life science applications. Despite their promise in the field and capability to conduct complex liquid handling steps, currently, most droplet microfluidic systems used for real assays utilize only a few droplet manipulation steps connected in series, and are often not integrated together on a single chip or platform. This is due to the fact that linking multiple sequential droplet functions within a single chip to operate at high efficiency over long periods of time remains technically challenging. Considering sequential manipulation is often required to conduct high-throughput screening assays on large cellular and molecular libraries, advancements in sequential operation and integration are required to advance the field. This current limitation greatly reduces the type of assays that can be realized in a high-throughput droplet format and becomes more prevalent in large library screening applications. Here we present an integrated multi-layer droplet microfluidic platform that can handle large numbers of droplets with high efficiency and minimum error. The platform combines two-photon photolithography-fabricated curved microstructures that allow high-efficiency (99.9%) re-flow of droplets and a unique droplet cleaving that automatically synchronizes paired droplets enabling high-efficiency (99.9%) downstream merging. We demonstrate that this method is applicable to a broad range of droplet sizes, including relatively large droplet sizes (hundreds of micrometers in diameter) that are typically more difficult to manipulate with high efficiency, yet are required in many cell assay applications requiring large organisms or multiple incubation steps. The utility of this highly efficient integrated droplet microfluidic platform was demonstrated by conducting a mock antibiotic screening assay against a bacterial pathogen. The approach and system presented here provides new avenues for the realization of ultra-high-efficiency multi-step droplet microfluidic systems with minimal error.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
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Bowman EK, Alper HS. Microdroplet-Assisted Screening of Biomolecule Production for Metabolic Engineering Applications. Trends Biotechnol 2020; 38:701-714. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2019.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Wippold JA, Wang H, Tingling J, Leibowitz J, de Figueiredo P, Han A. PRESCIENT: platform for the rapid evaluation of antibody success using integrated microfluidics enabled technology. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:1628-1638. [PMID: 32196032 PMCID: PMC7269184 DOI: 10.1039/c9lc01165j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Identifying antibodies (Abs) that neutralize infectious agents is the first step for developing therapeutics, vaccines, and diagnostic tools for these infectious agents. However, current approaches for identifying neutralizing Abs (nAbs) typically rely on dilution-based assays that are costly, inefficient, and only survey a small subset of the entire repertoire. There are also intrinsic biases in many steps of conventional nAb identification processes. More importantly, conventional assays rely on simple Ab-antigen binding assays, which may not result in identifying the most potent nAbs, as the strongest binder may not be the most potent nAb. Droplet microfluidic systems have the capability to overcome such limitations by conducting complex multi-step assays with high reliability, resolution, and throughput in a pico-liter volume water-in-oil emulsion droplet format. Here, we describe the development of PRESCIENT (Platform for the Rapid Evaluation of antibody SucCess using Integrated microfluidics ENabled Technology), a droplet microfluidic system that can enable high-throughput single-cell resolution identification of nAb repertoires elicited in response to viral infection. We demonstrate PRESCIENT's ability to identify Abs that neutralize a model viral agent, Murine coronavirus (murine hepatitis virus), which causes high mortality rates in experimentally infected mice. In-droplet infection of host cells by the virus was first demonstrated, followed by demonstration of in-droplet neutralization by nAbs produced from a single Ab-producing hybridoma cell. Finally, fluorescence intensity analyses of two populations of hybridoma cell lines (nAb-producing and non-nAb-producing hybridoma cell lines) successfully discriminated between the two populations. The presented strategy and platform have the potential to identify and investigate neutralizing activities against a broad range of potential infectious agents for which nAbs have yet to be discovered, significantly advancing the nAb identification process as well as reinvigorating the field of Ab discovery, characterization, and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose A. Wippold
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Han Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, CHINA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Joseph Tingling
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Julian Leibowitz
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
- Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, CHINA
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Xin S, Dai J, Gregory CA, Han A, Alge DL. Creating Physicochemical Gradients in Modular Microporous Annealed Particle Hydrogels via a Microfluidic Method. ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS 2020; 30:1907102. [PMID: 38213754 PMCID: PMC10783553 DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201907102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Microporous annealed particle (MAP) hydrogels are an attractive platform for engineering biomaterials with controlled heterogeneity. Here, we introduce a microfluidic method to create physicochemical gradients within poly(ethylene glycol) based MAP hydrogels. By combining microfluidic mixing and droplet generator modules, microgels with varying properties were produced by adjusting the relative flow rates between two precursor solutions and collected layer-by-layer in a syringe. Subsequently, the microgels were injected out of the syringe and then annealed with thiol-ene click chemistry. Fluorescence intensity measurements of constructs annealed in vitro and after mock implantation into a tissue defect showed that a continuous gradient profile was achieved and maintained after injection, indicating utility for in situ hydrogel formation. The effects of physicochemical property gradients on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were also studied. Microgel stiffness was studied first, and the hMSCs exhibited increased spreading and proliferation as stiffness increased along the gradient. Microgel degradability was also studied, revealing a critical degradability threshold above which the hMSCs spread robustly and below which they were isolated and exhibited reduced spreading. This method of generating spatial gradients in MAP hydrogels could be further used to gain new insights into cell-material interactions, which could be leveraged for tissue engineering applications. A new droplet microfluidic approach to obtain microporous annealed particle hydrogels with physicochemical gradients is presented. Gradient formation is achieved by precisely controlling the mixing of two precursor solutions, and the gradient can be maintained after injection. This approach can be leveraged to produce new materials for tissue repair and to gain unique insights on cell-material interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shangjing Xin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843 USA
| | - Jing Dai
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843 USA
| | - Carl A Gregory
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute for Regenerative Medicine Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, 77807 USA
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843 USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843 USA
| | - Daniel L Alge
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843 USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843 USA
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10
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Affiliation(s)
- Masila Danny Raj
- Dept. of Chemical EngineeringIIT Madras Chennai Tamil Nadu, 600036 India
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11
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Cheng WL, Sadr R, Dai J, Han A. Prediction of Microdroplet Breakup Regime in Asymmetric T-Junction Microchannels. Biomed Microdevices 2018; 20:72. [DOI: 10.1007/s10544-018-0310-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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12
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13
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Grimmer A, Chen X, Hamidović M, Haselmayr W, Ren CL, Wille R. Simulation before fabrication: a case study on the utilization of simulators for the design of droplet microfluidic networks. RSC Adv 2018; 8:34733-34742. [PMID: 35548635 PMCID: PMC9086924 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra05531a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The functional performance of passively operated droplet microfluidics is sensitive with respect to the dimensions of the channel network, the fabrication precision as well as the applied pressure because the entire network is coupled together. Especially, the local and global hydrodynamic resistance changes caused by droplets make the task to develop a robust microfluidic design challenging as plenty of interdependencies which all affect the intended behavior have to be considered by the designer. After the design, its functionality is usually validated by fabricating a prototype and testing it with physical experiments. In case that the functionality is not implemented as desired, the designer has to go back, revise the design, and repeat the fabrication as well as experiments. This current design process based on multiple iterations of refining and testing the design produces high costs (financially as well as in terms of time). In this work, we show how a significant amount of those costs can be avoided when applying simulation before fabrication. To this end, we demonstrate how simulations on the 1D circuit analysis model can help in the design process by means of a case study. Therefore, we compare the design process with and without using simulation. As a case study, we use a microfluidic network which is capable of trapping and merging droplets with different content on demand. The case study demonstrates how simulation can help to validate the derived design by considering all local and global hydrodynamic resistance changes. Moreover, the simulations even allow further exploration of different designs which have not been considered before due to the high costs. Simulating microfluidic networks allows to check a design even before first prototypes are realized.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Grimmer
- Institute for Integrated Circuits
- Johannes Kepler University Linz
- 4040 Linz
- Austria
| | - Xiaoming Chen
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
- University of Waterloo
- Waterloo
- Canada
| | - Medina Hamidović
- Institute for Communications Engineering and RF-Systems
- Johannes Kepler University Linz
- 4040 Linz
- Austria
| | - Werner Haselmayr
- Institute for Communications Engineering and RF-Systems
- Johannes Kepler University Linz
- 4040 Linz
- Austria
| | - Carolyn L. Ren
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
- University of Waterloo
- Waterloo
- Canada
| | - Robert Wille
- Institute for Integrated Circuits
- Johannes Kepler University Linz
- 4040 Linz
- Austria
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14
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Cochrane WG, Hackler AL, Cavett VJ, Price AK, Paegel BM. Integrated, Continuous Emulsion Creamer. Anal Chem 2017; 89:13227-13234. [PMID: 29124927 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b03070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Automated and reproducible sample handling is a key requirement for high-throughput compound screening and currently demands heavy reliance on expensive robotics in screening centers. Integrated droplet microfluidic screening processors are poised to replace robotic automation by miniaturizing biochemical reactions to the droplet scale. These processors must generate, incubate, and sort droplets for continuous droplet screening, passively handling millions of droplets with complete uniformity, especially during the key step of sample incubation. Here, we disclose an integrated microfluidic emulsion creamer that packs ("creams") assay droplets by draining away excess oil through microfabricated drain channels. The drained oil coflows with creamed emulsion and then reintroduces the oil to disperse the droplets at the circuit terminus for analysis. Creamed emulsion assay incubation time dispersion was 1.7%, 3-fold less than other reported incubators. The integrated, continuous emulsion creamer (ICEcreamer) was used to miniaturize and optimize measurements of various enzymatic activities (phosphodiesterase, kinase, bacterial translation) under multiple- and single-turnover conditions. Combining the ICEcreamer with current integrated microfluidic DNA-encoded library bead processors eliminates potentially cumbersome instrumentation engineering challenges and is compatible with assays of diverse target class activities commonly investigated in drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley G Cochrane
- Doctoral Program in the Chemical and Biological Sciences and ‡Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute , 130 Scripps Way, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Amber L Hackler
- Doctoral Program in the Chemical and Biological Sciences and ‡Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute , 130 Scripps Way, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Valerie J Cavett
- Doctoral Program in the Chemical and Biological Sciences and ‡Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute , 130 Scripps Way, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Alexander K Price
- Doctoral Program in the Chemical and Biological Sciences and ‡Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute , 130 Scripps Way, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
| | - Brian M Paegel
- Doctoral Program in the Chemical and Biological Sciences and ‡Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute , 130 Scripps Way, Jupiter, Florida 33458, United States
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Li S, Zeng M, Gaule T, McPherson MJ, Meldrum FC. Passive Picoinjection Enables Controlled Crystallization in a Droplet Microfluidic Device. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2017; 13:1702154. [PMID: 28873281 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201702154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Segmented flow microfluidic devices offer an attractive means of studying crystallization processes. However, while they are widely employed for protein crystallization, there are few examples of their use for sparingly soluble compounds due to problems with rapid device fouling and irreproducibility over longer run-times. This article presents a microfluidic device which overcomes these issues, as this is constructed around a novel design of "picoinjector" that facilitates direct injection into flowing droplets. Exploiting a Venturi junction to reduce the pressure within the droplet, it is shown that passive injection of solution from a side-capillary can be achieved in the absence of an applied electric field. The operation of this device is demonstrated for calcium carbonate, where highly reproducible results are obtained over long run-times at high supersaturations. This compares with conventional devices that use a Y-junction to achieve solution loading, where in-channel precipitation of calcium carbonate occurs even at low supersaturations. This work not only opens the door to the use of microfluidics to study the crystallization of low solubility compounds, but the simple design of a passive picoinjector will find wide utility in areas including multistep reactions and investigation of reaction dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunbo Li
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Muling Zeng
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Thembaninkosi Gaule
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Michael J McPherson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Fiona C Meldrum
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
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16
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Kim HS, Hsu S, Han S, Thapa HR, Guzman AR, Browne DR, Tatli M, Devarenne TP, Stern DB, Han A. High-throughput droplet microfluidics screening platform for selecting fast-growing and high lipid-producing microalgae from a mutant library. PLANT DIRECT 2017; 1:e00011. [PMID: 31245660 PMCID: PMC6508572 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Biofuels derived from microalgal lipids have demonstrated a promising potential as future renewable bioenergy. However, the production costs for microalgae-based biofuels are not economically competitive, and one strategy to overcome this limitation is to develop better-performing microalgal strains that have faster growth and higher lipid content through genetic screening and metabolic engineering. In this work, we present a high-throughput droplet microfluidics-based screening platform capable of analyzing growth and lipid content in populations derived from single cells of a randomly mutated microalgal library to identify and sort variants that exhibit the desired traits such as higher growth rate and increased lipid content. By encapsulating single cells into water-in-oil emulsion droplets, each variant was separately cultured inside an individual droplet that functioned as an independent bioreactor. In conjunction with an on-chip fluorescent lipid staining process within droplets, microalgal growth and lipid content were characterized by measuring chlorophyll and BODIPY fluorescence intensities through an integrated optical detection system in a flow-through manner. Droplets containing cells with higher growth and lipid content were selectively retrieved and further analyzed off-chip. The growth and lipid content screening capabilities of the developed platform were successfully demonstrated by first carrying out proof-of-concept screening using known Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutants. The platform was then utilized to screen an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-mutated C. reinhardtii population, where eight potential mutants showing faster growth and higher lipid content were selected from 200,000 examined samples, demonstrating the capability of the platform as a high-throughput screening tool for microalgal biofuel development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Soo Kim
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
- Korea Institute of Machinery and MaterialsDaegu Research Center for Medical Devices and RehabilitationDaeguSouth Korea
| | | | - Song‐I Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| | - Hem R. Thapa
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| | - Adrian R. Guzman
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| | - Daniel R. Browne
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| | - Mehmet Tatli
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| | - Timothy P. Devarenne
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| | | | - Arum Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
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Huang H, Yu Y, Hu Y, He X, Usta OB, Yarmush ML. Generation and manipulation of hydrogel microcapsules by droplet-based microfluidics for mammalian cell culture. LAB ON A CHIP 2017; 17:1913-1932. [PMID: 28509918 PMCID: PMC5548188 DOI: 10.1039/c7lc00262a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogel microcapsules provide miniaturized and biocompatible niches for three-dimensional (3D) in vitro cell culture. They can be easily generated by droplet-based microfluidics with tunable size, morphology, and biochemical properties. Therefore, microfluidic generation and manipulation of cell-laden microcapsules can be used for 3D cell culture to mimic the in vivo environment towards applications in tissue engineering and high throughput drug screening. In this review of recent advances mainly since 2010, we will first introduce general characteristics of droplet-based microfluidic devices for cell encapsulation with an emphasis on the fluid dynamics of droplet breakup and internal mixing as they directly influence microcapsule's size and structure. We will then discuss two on-chip manipulation strategies: sorting and extraction from oil into aqueous phase, which can be integrated into droplet-based microfluidics and significantly improve the qualities of cell-laden hydrogel microcapsules. Finally, we will review various applications of hydrogel microencapsulation for 3D in vitro culture on cell growth and proliferation, stem cell differentiation, tissue development, and co-culture of different types of cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haishui Huang
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital,
Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, Massachusetts
02114, United States
| | - Yin Yu
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital,
Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, Massachusetts
02114, United States
| | - Yong Hu
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital,
Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, Massachusetts
02114, United States
| | - Xiaoming He
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University,
Columbus, USA
| | - O. Berk Usta
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital,
Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, Massachusetts
02114, United States
| | - Martin L. Yarmush
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital,
Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, Massachusetts
02114, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University,
Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
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