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Saupe M, Wiedemeier S, Gastrock G, Römer R, Lemke K. Flexible Toolbox of High-Precision Microfluidic Modules for Versatile Droplet-Based Applications. MICROMACHINES 2024; 15:250. [PMID: 38398978 PMCID: PMC10891953 DOI: 10.3390/mi15020250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Although the enormous potential of droplet-based microfluidics has been successfully demonstrated in the past two decades for medical, pharmaceutical, and academic applications, its inherent potential has not been fully exploited until now. Nevertheless, the cultivation of biological cells and 3D cell structures like spheroids and organoids, located in serially arranged droplets in micro-channels, has a range of benefits compared to established cultivation techniques based on, e.g., microplates and microchips. To exploit the enormous potential of the droplet-based cell cultivation technique, a number of basic functions have to be fulfilled. In this paper, we describe microfluidic modules to realize the following basic functions with high precision: (i) droplet generation, (ii) mixing of cell suspensions and cell culture media in the droplets, (iii) droplet content detection, and (iv) active fluid injection into serially arranged droplets. The robustness of the functionality of the Two-Fluid Probe is further investigated regarding its droplet generation using different flow rates. Advantages and disadvantages in comparison to chip-based solutions are discussed. New chip-based modules like the gradient, the piezo valve-based conditioning, the analysis, and the microscopy module are characterized in detail and their high-precision functionalities are demonstrated. These microfluidic modules are micro-machined, and as the surfaces of their micro-channels are plasma-treated, we are able to perform cell cultivation experiments using any kind of cell culture media, but without needing to use surfactants. This is even more considerable when droplets are used to investigate cell cultures like stem cells or cancer cells as cell suspensions, as 3D cell structures, or as tissue fragments over days or even weeks for versatile applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Saupe
- Institute for Bioprocessing and Analytical Measurement Techniques e.V., 37308 Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany; (S.W.); (G.G.); (R.R.); (K.L.)
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Microreaction Technologies, Technical University of Ilmenau, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany
| | - Stefan Wiedemeier
- Institute for Bioprocessing and Analytical Measurement Techniques e.V., 37308 Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany; (S.W.); (G.G.); (R.R.); (K.L.)
| | - Gunter Gastrock
- Institute for Bioprocessing and Analytical Measurement Techniques e.V., 37308 Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany; (S.W.); (G.G.); (R.R.); (K.L.)
| | - Robert Römer
- Institute for Bioprocessing and Analytical Measurement Techniques e.V., 37308 Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany; (S.W.); (G.G.); (R.R.); (K.L.)
| | - Karen Lemke
- Institute for Bioprocessing and Analytical Measurement Techniques e.V., 37308 Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany; (S.W.); (G.G.); (R.R.); (K.L.)
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2
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Richerd M, Dumas S, Hajji I, Serra M, Descroix S. Multiomic Droplet-Based Assay for Ultralow Input Samples. Anal Chem 2023; 95:17988-17996. [PMID: 38032406 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c01776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
The extraction and separation of cellular compounds are crucial steps in numerous biological protocols, particularly in multiomics studies, where several cellular modalities are examined simultaneously. While magnetic particle extraction is commonly used, it may not be applicable for ultralow input samples. Microfluidics has made possible the analysis of rare or low-materiality samples such as circulating tumor cells or single cells through miniaturization of numerous protocols. In this study, a microfluidics workflow for separating different cellular modalities from ultralow input samples is presented. This approach is based on magnetic tweezers technology, allowing the extraction and resuspension of magnetic particles between consecutive nanoliter droplets to perform multistep assays on small volumes. The ability to separate and recover mRNA and gDNA in samples containing less than 10 cells is demonstrated, achieving separation efficiency comparable to the one obtained with conventional pipetting but with a significantly lower amount of starting material, typically 1-2 orders of magnitude less.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Richerd
- Institut Curie, Laboratoire PhysicoChimie (CNRS UMR 168), Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Sorbonne Université, PSL Research University, 6 rue Jean, Calvin 75005, Paris, France
| | - Simon Dumas
- Institut Curie, Laboratoire PhysicoChimie (CNRS UMR 168), Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Sorbonne Université, PSL Research University, 6 rue Jean, Calvin 75005, Paris, France
| | - Ismail Hajji
- Institut Curie, Laboratoire PhysicoChimie (CNRS UMR 168), Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Sorbonne Université, PSL Research University, 6 rue Jean, Calvin 75005, Paris, France
| | - Marco Serra
- Institut Curie, Laboratoire PhysicoChimie (CNRS UMR 168), Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Sorbonne Université, PSL Research University, 6 rue Jean, Calvin 75005, Paris, France
| | - Stéphanie Descroix
- Institut Curie, Laboratoire PhysicoChimie (CNRS UMR 168), Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Sorbonne Université, PSL Research University, 6 rue Jean, Calvin 75005, Paris, France
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3
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Parent C, Raj Melayil K, Zhou Y, Aubert V, Surdez D, Delattre O, Wilhelm C, Viovy JL. Simple droplet microfluidics platform for drug screening on cancer spheroids. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:5139-5150. [PMID: 37942508 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00417a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
3D in vitro biological systems are progressively replacing 2D systems to increase the physiological relevance of cellular studies. Microfluidics-based approaches can be powerful tools towards such biomimetic systems, but often require high-end complicated and expensive processes and equipment for microfabrication. Herein, a drug screening platform is proposed, minimizing technicality and manufacturing steps. It provides an alternate way of spheroid generation in droplets in tubes. Droplet microfluidics then elicit multiple droplets merging events at programmable times, to submit sequentially the spheroids to chemotherapy and to reagents for cytotoxicity screening. After a comprehensive study of tumorogenesis within the droplets, the system is validated for drug screening (IC50) with chemotherapies in cancer cell lines as well as cells from a patient-derived-xenografts (PDX). As compared to microtiter plates methods, our system reduces the initial number of cells up to 10 times and opens new avenues towards primary tumors drug screening approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Parent
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, CNRS, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Kiran Raj Melayil
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, CNRS, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Ya Zhou
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, CNRS, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Vivian Aubert
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, CNRS, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Didier Surdez
- Balgrist University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Delattre
- INSERM U830, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Claire Wilhelm
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, CNRS, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Jean-Louis Viovy
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, CNRS, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France.
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Poles M, Meggiolaro A, Cremaschini S, Marinello F, Filippi D, Pierno M, Mistura G, Ferraro D. Shaking Device for Homogeneous Dispersion of Magnetic Beads in Droplet Microfluidics. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:5399. [PMID: 37420565 DOI: 10.3390/s23125399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Magnetic beads (or particles) having a size between 1 and 5 µm are largely used in many biochemical assays devoted to both purification and quantification of cells, nucleic acids, or proteins. Unfortunately, the use of these beads within microfluidic devices suffers from natural precipitation because of their size and density. The strategies applied thus far to cells or polymeric particles cannot be extended to magnetic beads, mainly due to their magnetization and their higher densities. We report an effective shaking device capable of preventing the sedimentation of beads that are stored in a custom PCR tube. After the characterization of the operating principle, the device is validated for magnetic beads in droplets, leading to an equal distribution between the droplets, barely affecting their generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Poles
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Alessio Meggiolaro
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Sebastian Cremaschini
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Filippo Marinello
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Daniele Filippi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Matteo Pierno
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Giampaolo Mistura
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Davide Ferraro
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
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Durve M, Orsini S, Tiribocchi A, Montessori A, Tucny JM, Lauricella M, Camposeo A, Pisignano D, Succi S. Benchmarking YOLOv5 and YOLOv7 models with DeepSORT for droplet tracking applications. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2023; 46:32. [PMID: 37154834 PMCID: PMC10167152 DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-023-00290-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Tracking droplets in microfluidics is a challenging task. The difficulty arises in choosing a tool to analyze general microfluidic videos to infer physical quantities. The state-of-the-art object detector algorithm You Only Look Once (YOLO) and the object tracking algorithm Simple Online and Realtime Tracking with a Deep Association Metric (DeepSORT) are customizable for droplet identification and tracking. The customization includes training YOLO and DeepSORT networks to identify and track the objects of interest. We trained several YOLOv5 and YOLOv7 models and the DeepSORT network for droplet identification and tracking from microfluidic experimental videos. We compare the performance of the droplet tracking applications with YOLOv5 and YOLOv7 in terms of training time and time to analyze a given video across various hardware configurations. Despite the latest YOLOv7 being 10% faster, the real-time tracking is only achieved by lighter YOLO models on RTX 3070 Ti GPU machine due to additional significant droplet tracking costs arising from the DeepSORT algorithm. This work is a benchmark study for the YOLOv5 and YOLOv7 networks with DeepSORT in terms of the training time and inference time for a custom dataset of microfluidic droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihir Durve
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), viale Regina Elena 295, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Sibilla Orsini
- NEST, Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR and Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127, Pisa, Italy
- Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via dei Taurini 19, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Adriano Tiribocchi
- Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via dei Taurini 19, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Montessori
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Informatica e delle Tecnologie Aeronautiche, Università degli Studi Roma TRE, via Vito Volterra 62, Rome, 00146, Italy
| | - Jean-Michel Tucny
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), viale Regina Elena 295, 00161, Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Informatica e delle Tecnologie Aeronautiche, Università degli Studi Roma TRE, via Vito Volterra 62, Rome, 00146, Italy
| | - Marco Lauricella
- Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via dei Taurini 19, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Camposeo
- NEST, Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR and Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127, Pisa, Italy
| | - Dario Pisignano
- NEST, Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR and Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127, Pisa, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127, Pisa, Italy
| | - Sauro Succi
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), viale Regina Elena 295, 00161, Rome, Italy
- Physics Department, Harvard University, 17 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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Carneri M, Ferraro D, Azarpour A, Meggiolaro A, Cremaschini S, Filippi D, Pierno M, Zanchetta G, Mistura G. Sliding and rolling of yield stress fluid droplets on highly slippery lubricated surfaces. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 644:487-495. [PMID: 37146485 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.04.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Droplets of yield stress fluids (YSFs), i.e. fluids that can flow only if they are subjected to a stress above a critical value and otherwise deform like solids, hardly move on solid surfaces due to their high viscosity. The use of highly slippery lubricated surfaces can shed light on the mobility of YSF droplets, which include everyday soft materials, such as toothpaste or mayonnaise, and biological fluids, such as mucus. EXPERIMENTS The spreading and mobility of droplets of aqueous solutions of swollen Carbopol microgels were studied on lubricant infused surfaces. These solutions represent a model system of YSFs. Dynamical phase diagrams were established by varying the concentration of the solutions and the inclination angle of the surfaces. FINDINGS Carbopol droplets deposited on lubricated surfaces could move even at low inclination angles. The droplets were found to slide because of the slip of the flowing oil that covered the solid substrate. However, as the descending speed increased, the droplets rolled down. Rolling was favored at high inclinations and low concentrations. A simple criterion based on the ratio between the yield stress of the Carbopol suspensions and the gravitational stress acting on the Carbopol droplets was found to nicely identify the transition between the two regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Carneri
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "G. Galilei", Università di Padova, via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Davide Ferraro
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "G. Galilei", Università di Padova, via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Afshin Azarpour
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università di Milano, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20054 Segrate, Italy
| | - Alessio Meggiolaro
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "G. Galilei", Università di Padova, via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Sebastian Cremaschini
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "G. Galilei", Università di Padova, via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Daniele Filippi
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "G. Galilei", Università di Padova, via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Matteo Pierno
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "G. Galilei", Università di Padova, via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Giuliano Zanchetta
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università di Milano, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20054 Segrate, Italy.
| | - Giampaolo Mistura
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "G. Galilei", Università di Padova, via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy.
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7
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Meggiolaro A, Moccia V, Brun P, Pierno M, Mistura G, Zappulli V, Ferraro D. Microfluidic Strategies for Extracellular Vesicle Isolation: Towards Clinical Applications. BIOSENSORS 2022; 13:bios13010050. [PMID: 36671885 PMCID: PMC9855931 DOI: 10.3390/bios13010050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are double-layered lipid membrane vesicles released by cells. Currently, EVs are attracting a lot of attention in the biological and medical fields due to their role as natural carriers of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Thus, they can transport useful genomic information from their parental cell through body fluids, promoting cell-to-cell communication even between different organs. Due to their functionality as cargo carriers and their protein expression, they can play an important role as possible diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in various types of diseases, e.g., cancers, neurodegenerative, and autoimmune diseases. Today, given the invaluable importance of EVs, there are some pivotal challenges to overcome in terms of their isolation. Conventional methods have some limitations: they are influenced by the starting sample, might present low throughput and low purity, and sometimes a lack of reproducibility, being operator dependent. During the past few years, several microfluidic approaches have been proposed to address these issues. In this review, we summarize the most important microfluidic-based devices for EV isolation, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages compared to existing technology, as well as the current state of the art from the perspective of the use of these devices in clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Meggiolaro
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Valentina Moccia
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
| | - Paola Brun
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Via Gabelli 63, 35121 Padua, Italy
| | - Matteo Pierno
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Giampaolo Mistura
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Valentina Zappulli
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
| | - Davide Ferraro
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
- Correspondence:
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8
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Liénard--Mayor T, Bricteux C, Bendali A, Tran NT, Bruneel A, Taverna M, Mai TD. Lab-in-droplet: From glycan sample treatment toward diagnostic screening of congenital disorders of glycosylation. Anal Chim Acta 2022; 1221:340150. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2022.340150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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9
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Determination of the Dielectrophoretic Force Induced by the Photovoltaic Effect on Lithium Niobate. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13020316. [PMID: 35208440 PMCID: PMC8875925 DOI: 10.3390/mi13020316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The actuation of droplets on a surface is extremely relevant for microfluidic applications. In recent years, various methodologies have been used. A promising solution relies on iron-doped lithium niobate crystals that, when illuminated, generate an evanescent electric field in the surrounding space due to the photovoltaic effect. This field can be successfully exploited to control the motion of water droplets. Here, we present an experimental method to determine the attractive force exerted by the evanescent field. It consists of the analysis of the elongation of a pendant droplet and its detachment from the suspending syringe needle, caused by the illumination of an iron-doped lithium niobate crystal. We show that this interaction resembles that obtained by applying a voltage between the needle and a metallic substrate, and a quantitative investigation of these two types of actuation yields similar results. Pendant droplet tensiometry is then demonstrated to offer a simple solution for quickly mapping out the force at different distances from the crystal, generated by the photovoltaic effect and its temporal evolution, providing important quantitative data for the design and characterization of optofluidic devices based on lithium niobate crystals.
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10
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Shao C, Chi J, Shang L, Fan Q, Ye F. Droplet microfluidics-based biomedical microcarriers. Acta Biomater 2022; 138:21-33. [PMID: 34718181 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidic technology provides a new platform for controllable generation of microdroplets and droplet-derived materials. In particular, because of the ability in high-throughput production and accurate control of the size, structure, and function of these materials, droplet microfluidics presents unique advantages in the preparation of functional microcarriers, i.e., microsized liquid containers or solid particles that serve as substrates of biomolecules or cells. These microcarriers could be extensively applied in the areas of cell culture, tissue engineering, and drug delivery. In this review, we focus on the fabrication of microcarriers from droplet microfluidics, and discuss their applications in the biomedical field. We start with the basic principle of droplet microfluidics, including droplet generation regimes and its control methods. We then introduce the fabrication of biomedical microcarriers based on single, double, and multiple emulsion droplets, and emphasize the various applications of microcarriers in biomedical field, especially in 3D cell culture, drug development and biomedical detection. Finally, we conclude this review by discussing the limitations and challenges of droplet microfluidics in preparing microcarriers. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Because of its precise control and high throughput, droplet microfluidics has been employed to generate functional microcarriers, which have been widely used in the areas of drug development, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. This review is significant because it emphasizes recent progress in research on droplet microfluidics in the preparation and application of biomedical microcarriers. In addition, this review suggests research directions for the future development of biomedical microcarriers based on droplet microfluidics by presenting existing shortcomings and challenges.
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11
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Lee D, Shen AQ. Interfacial Tension Measurements in Microfluidic Quasi-Static Extensional Flows. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:272. [PMID: 33800831 PMCID: PMC8000871 DOI: 10.3390/mi12030272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics provides a versatile tool for measuring interfacial tensions between two immiscible fluids owing to its abilities of fast response, enhanced throughput, portability and easy manipulations of fluid compositions, comparing to conventional techniques. Purely homogeneous extension in the microfluidic device is desirable to measure the interfacial tension because the flow field enables symmetric droplet deformation along the outflow direction. To do so, we designed a microfluidic device consisting of a droplet production region to first generate emulsion droplets at a flow-focusing area. The droplets are then trapped at a stagnation point in the cross junction area, subsequently being stretched along the outflow direction under the extensional flow. These droplets in the device are either confined or unconfined in the channel walls depending on the channel height, which yields different droplet deformations. To calculate the interfacial tension for confined and unconfined droplet cases, quasi-static 2D Darcy approximation model and quasi-static 3D small deformation model are used. For the confined droplet case under the extensional flow, an effective viscosity of the two immiscible fluids, accounting for the viscosity ratio of continuous and dispersed phases, captures the droplet deformation well. However, the 2D model is limited to the case where the droplet is confined in the channel walls and deforms two-dimensionally. For the unconfined droplet case, the 3D model provides more robust estimates than the 2D model. We demonstrate that both 2D and 3D models provide good interfacial tension measurements under quasi-static extensional flows in comparison with the conventional pendant drop method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doojin Lee
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
| | - Amy Q. Shen
- Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
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12
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Berlanda SF, Breitfeld M, Dietsche CL, Dittrich PS. Recent Advances in Microfluidic Technology for Bioanalysis and Diagnostics. Anal Chem 2020; 93:311-331. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c04366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon F. Berlanda
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maximilian Breitfeld
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Claudius L. Dietsche
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Petra S. Dittrich
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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13
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Shen C, Liu F, Wu L, Yu C, Yu W. Dripping, Jetting and Regime Transition of Droplet Formation in a Buoyancy-Assisted Microfluidic Device. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:mi11110962. [PMID: 33121113 PMCID: PMC7693404 DOI: 10.3390/mi11110962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Buoyancy-assisted droplet formation in a quiescent continuous phase is an effective technique to produce highly monodispersed droplets, especially millimetric droplets. A comprehensive study combining visualization experiment and numerical simulation was carried out to explore the underlying physics of single droplet generation in a buoyancy-assisted microfluidic device. Typical regimes, including dripping and jetting, were examined to gain a deep insight into the hydrodynamic difference between the regimes. Particularly, the transition from dripping regime to jetting regime was investigated to give an in-depth understanding of the transitional behaviors. The effects of interfacial tension coefficient on the droplet size and formation regimes are discussed, and a regime diagram is summarized. The results show that oscillation of the interface in dripping regimes after detachment is caused by the locally accelerated fluid during the neck pinching process. Droplet formation patterns with the characteristics of both dripping regime and jetting regime are observed and recognized as the transitional regime, and the interface oscillation lasts longer than that in dripping regime, implying intensive competition between interfacial tension and inertial force. Reducing interfacial tension coefficient results in the dripping-to-jetting transition occurring at a lower flow rate of the dispersed phase. The regime diagram indicates that only the inertial force is the indispensable condition of triggering the transition from dripping to jetting.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Wei Yu
- Correspondence: (C.Y.); (W.Y.)
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14
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Zamboni R, Zaltron A, Izzo E, Bottaro G, Ferraro D, Sada C. Opto-Microfluidic System for Absorbance Measurements in Lithium Niobate Device Applied to pH Measurements. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 20:E5366. [PMID: 32961673 PMCID: PMC7570644 DOI: 10.3390/s20185366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The aim of Lab-on-a-chip systems is the downscaling of analytical protocols into microfluidic devices, including optical measurements. In this context, the growing interest of the scientific community in opto-microfluidic devices has fueled the development of new materials. Recently, lithium niobate has been presented as a promising material for this scope, thanks to its remarkable optical and physicochemical properties. Here, we present a novel microfluidic device realized starting from a lithium niobate crystal, combining engraved microfluidic channels with integrated and self-aligned optical waveguides. Notably, the proposed microfabrication strategy does not compromise the optical coupling between the waveguides and the microchannel, allowing one to measure the transmitted light through the liquid flowing in the channel. In addition, the device shows a high versatility in terms of the optical properties of the light source, such as wavelength and polarization. Finally, the developed opto-microfluidic system is successfully validated as a probe for real-time pH monitoring of the liquid flowing inside the microchannel, showing a high integrability and fast response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Zamboni
- Physics and Astronomy Department G. Galileo, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35121 Padova, Italy; (R.Z.); (A.Z.); (E.I.)
| | - Annamaria Zaltron
- Physics and Astronomy Department G. Galileo, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35121 Padova, Italy; (R.Z.); (A.Z.); (E.I.)
| | - Elena Izzo
- Physics and Astronomy Department G. Galileo, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35121 Padova, Italy; (R.Z.); (A.Z.); (E.I.)
| | - Gregorio Bottaro
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technologies for Energy (ICMATE), National Research Council (CNR), University of Padova, via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy;
| | - Davide Ferraro
- Physics and Astronomy Department G. Galileo, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35121 Padova, Italy; (R.Z.); (A.Z.); (E.I.)
| | - Cinzia Sada
- Physics and Astronomy Department G. Galileo, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35121 Padova, Italy; (R.Z.); (A.Z.); (E.I.)
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15
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Liénard-Mayor T, Taverna M, Descroix S, Mai TD. Droplet-interfacing strategies in microscale electrophoresis for sample treatment, separation and quantification: A review. Anal Chim Acta 2020; 1143:281-297. [PMID: 33384124 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2020.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In this study, for the first time we report on a comprehensive overview of different strategies to hyphenate droplet-based sample handling and preparation with electrophoretic separation in different formats (i.e. microchip and capillary electrophoresis). Droplet-interfaced electrophoresis is an emerging technique in which micro/nanometric droplets are used as a bridge and carrier of target analytes between sample treatment and electrokinetic separation steps, thus being expected to overcome the challenges of working dimension mismatch and low degree of module integration. This review covers all works on this topic from 2006 (the year of the first communication) up to 2020, with focus being given to three principal interfacing strategies, including droplets in immiscible phases, digital microfluidics with electrowetting-on-dielectric principle and inkjet droplet generation. Different instrumental developments for such purpose, the viewpoints on pros and cons of these designs as well as application demonstrations of droplet-interfaced electrokinetic strategies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Théo Liénard-Mayor
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut Galien Paris-Saclay, 92296, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Myriam Taverna
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut Galien Paris-Saclay, 92296, Châtenay-Malabry, France; Institut Universitaire de France, France
| | - Stéphanie Descroix
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR168, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Thanh Duc Mai
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut Galien Paris-Saclay, 92296, Châtenay-Malabry, France.
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16
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Asano S, Takahashi Y, Maki T, Muranaka Y, Cherkasov N, Mae K. Contactless mass transfer for intra-droplet extraction. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7685. [PMID: 32376922 PMCID: PMC7203142 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64520-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study demonstrates the possibility of “contactless” mass transfer between two aqueous slugs (droplets) separated by an oil slug in Taylor flow inside milli-channels. Separation of the alternating aqueous slugs at the outlet was performed by switching a couple of solenoid valves at branched outlets according to signals obtained by an optical sensor at the branch. Transfer of bromothymol blue (BTB) from acidic to basic aqueous slugs was performed for demonstration. In some cases, aqueous slugs separated by oil, merged catching on each other due to the velocity difference. Interfacial tension which was affected by the solute concentration was responsible for the velocity difference. Position-specific mass transfer activity at the rear end of the aqueous slugs was found on the course of the experiment. A meandering channel decreased the velocity difference and enhanced mass transfer. Almost complete (93%) transfer of BTB was achieved within a short residence time of several minutes under optimized conditions. The presented system opens a way for advanced separation using minimum amounts of the oil phase and allows concentrating the solute by altering relative lengths of the sender and receiver slugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shusaku Asano
- Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University, 6-1, Kasuga Koen, Kasuga, 816-8580, Japan. .,Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-1, Kasuga Koen, Kasuga, 816-8580, Japan.
| | - Yu Takahashi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto-daigaku Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8510, Japan
| | - Taisuke Maki
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto-daigaku Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8510, Japan
| | - Yosuke Muranaka
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto-daigaku Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8510, Japan
| | - Nikolay Cherkasov
- School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Kazuhiro Mae
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto-daigaku Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8510, Japan
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17
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Jeyhani M, Thevakumaran R, Abbasi N, Hwang DK, Tsai SSH. Microfluidic Generation of All-Aqueous Double and Triple Emulsions. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2020; 16:e1906565. [PMID: 31985166 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201906565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Higher order emulsions are used in a variety of different applications in biomedicine, biological studies, cosmetics, and the food industry. Conventional droplet generation platforms for making higher order emulsions use organic solvents as the continuous phase, which is not biocompatible and as a result, further washing steps are required to remove the toxic continuous phase. Recently, droplet generation based on aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) has emerged in the field of droplet microfluidics due to their intrinsic biocompatibility. Here, a platform to generate all-aqueous double and triple emulsions by introducing pressure-driven flows inside a microfluidic hybrid device is presented. This system uses a conventional microfluidic flow-focusing geometry coupled with a coaxial microneedle and a glass capillary embedded in flow-focusing junctions. The configuration of the hybrid device enables the focusing of two coaxial two-phase streams, which helps to avoid commonly observed channel-wetting problems. It is shown that this approach achieves the fabrication of higher-order emulsions in a poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based microfluidic device, and controls the structure of the all-aqueous emulsions. This hybrid microfluidic approach allows for facile higher-order biocompatible emulsion formation, and it is anticipated that this platform will find utility for generating biocompatible materials for various biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morteza Jeyhani
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST)-a Partnership between Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Risavarshni Thevakumaran
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST)-a Partnership between Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
- Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Niki Abbasi
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST)-a Partnership between Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Dae Kun Hwang
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST)-a Partnership between Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Scott S H Tsai
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST)-a Partnership between Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
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18
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Droplet-Based Microfluidics Methods for Detecting Enzyme Inhibitors. Methods Mol Biol 2019. [PMID: 31773657 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0163-1_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Sub-nanoliter droplets produced in microfluidic devices have gained an enormous importance for performing all kinds of biochemical assays. One of the main reasons is that the amounts of reagents employed can be reduced in approximately five orders of magnitude compared to conventional microplate assays. In this chapter, we describe how to carry out the design, fabrication, and operation of a microfluidic device that allows performing enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibition assays in droplets. This procedure can be used effectively to screen a small size library of compounds. Then, we describe how to use this droplet microfluidic setup to screen for potential inhibitor compounds eluted from a coupled high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system that separates crude natural extracts.
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