Cell-lab on a chip: a CMOS-based microsystem for culturing and monitoring cells

Biocompatibility of Blank, Post-Processed and Coated 3D Printed Resin Structures with Electrogenic Cells

The widespread adaptation of 3D printing in the microfluidic, bioelectronic, and Bio-MEMS communities has been stifled by the lack of investigation into the biocompatibility of commercially available printer resins. By introducing an in-depth post-printing treatment of these resins, their biocompatibility can be dramatically improved up to that of a standard cell culture vessel (99.99%). Additionally, encapsulating resins that are less biocompatible with materials that are common constituents in biosensors further enhances the biocompatibility of the material. This investigation provides a clear pathway toward developing fully functional and biocompatible 3D printed biosensor devices, especially for interfacing with electrogenic cells, utilizing benchtop-based microfabrication, and post-processing techniques.

A Microfluidic Cytometer for Complete Blood Count With a 3.2-Megapixel, 1.1- μm-Pitch Super-Resolution Image Sensor in 65-nm BSI CMOS

Based on a 3.2-Megapixel 1.1- μm-pitch super-resolution (SR) CMOS image sensor in a 65-nm backside-illumination process, a lens-free microfluidic cytometer for complete blood count (CBC) is demonstrated in this paper. Backside-illumination improves resolution and contrast at the device level with elimination of surface treatment when integrated with microfluidic channels. A single-frame machine-learning-based SR processing is further realized at system level for resolution correction with minimum hardware resources. The demonstrated microfluidic cytometer can detect the platelet cells (< 2 μm) required in CBC, hence is promising for point-of-care diagnostics.

Initial design of a bacterial actuated microrobot for operations in an aqueous medium

The initial design of a 500 micromx200 microm untethered microrobot for future operations in an aqueous medium is briefly described. Electrical energy requirement is minimized by exploiting the motility of magnetotactic bacteria embedded in special reservoirs and used to propel the microrobot. An embedded control microcircuit powered through photovoltaic cells is developed to control the swimming directions of the bacteria and hence, the direction of the robot. The work presented is an initial step towards the development of platforms capable of relatively complex tasks being executed by a swarm of such microrobots pre-programmed with various behaviors.

Design, Fabrication, and Testing of a Hybrid CMOS/PDMS Microsystem for Cell Culture and Incubation

We discuss the design, fabrication, and testing of a hybrid microsystem for stand-alone cell culture and incubation. The micro-incubator is engineered through the integration of a silicon CMOS die for the heater and temperature sensor, with multilayer silicone (PDMS) structures namely, fluidic channels and a 1.5-mm diameter 12-muL culture well. A 90-mum-thick PDMS membrane covers the top of the culture well, acting as barrier to contaminants while at the same time allowing the cells to breath and exchange gases with the ambient environment. The packaging for the microsystem includes a flexible polyimide electronic ribbon cable and four fluidic ports that provide external interfaces to electrical energy, closed-loop sensing and electronic control as well as solid and liquid supplies. The complete structure has a size of (2.5times2.5times0.6) cm(3). We have employed the device to successfully culture BHK-21 cells autonomously over a three day period in ambient environment.

Hybrid silicon/silicone (polydimethylsiloxane) microsystem for cell culture

We discuss the design, fabrication and testing of a hybrid microsystem for stand-alone cell culture and incubation. The micro-incubator is engineered through the integration of a silicon CMOS die for the heater and temperature sensor, with multilayer silicone PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) structures namely, fluidic channels and a 4 mm diameter, 30 microL, culture well. A 25 micron thick PDMS membrane covers the top of the culture well, acting as barrier to contaminants while allowing the cells to exchange gases with the ambient environment. The packaging for the microsystem includes a flexible polyimide electronic ribbon cable and four fluidic ports that provide external interfaces to electrical energy, closed loop sensing and electronic control as well as solid and liquid supplies. The complete structure has a size of (2.5x2.5x0.6 cm3). We have employed the device to successfully culture BHK-21 cells autonomously over a sixty hour period in ambient environment.