Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

0 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

3D Printed Reconfigurable Modular Microfluidic System for Generating Gel Microspheres.

ABSTRACT: Integrated microfluidic systems afford extensive benefits for chemical and biological fields, yet traditional, monolithic methods of microfabrication restrict the design and assembly of truly complex systems. Here, a simple, reconfigurable and high fluid pressure modular microfluidic system is presented. The screw interconnects reversibly assemble each individual microfluidic module together. Screw connector provided leak-free fluidic communication, which could withstand fluid resistances up to 500 kPa between two interconnected microfluidic modules. A sample library of standardized components and connectors manufactured using 3D printing was developed. The capability for modular microfluidic system was demonstrated by generating sodium alginate gel microspheres. This 3D printed modular microfluidic system makes it possible to meet the needs of the end-user, and can be applied to bioassays, material synthesis, and other applications.

SUBMITTER: Chen X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7074726 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Publications

3D Printed Reconfigurable Modular Microfluidic System for Generating Gel Microspheres.

Chen Xiaojun X Mo Deyun D Gong Manfeng M

Micromachines 20200221 2

Integrated microfluidic systems afford extensive benefits for chemical and biological fields, yet traditional, monolithic methods of microfabrication restrict the design and assembly of truly complex systems. Here, a simple, reconfigurable and high fluid pressure modular microfluidic system is presented. The screw interconnects reversibly assemble each individual microfluidic module together. Screw connector provided leak-free fluidic communication, which could withstand fluid resistances up to ...[more]

PMID: 32098210

Similar Datasets

A 3D-Printed Standardized Modular Microfluidic System for Droplet Generation

Project description:Droplet-based microfluidics has a variety of applications, such as material synthesis and single-cell analysis. In this paper, we propose a modular microfluidic system using projection micro-stereolithography three-dimensional (3D) printing technology for droplet generation. All modules are designed using a standard cubic structure with a specific leakage-free connection interface. Versatile droplets, including single droplets, alternating droplets, merged droplets, and Janus particles, have been successfully produced. The droplet size and the generation rate can be flexibly controlled by adjusting the flow rates. The influence of the flow rate fraction between the discrete phase and the continuous phase over the generation of the alternating and merged droplets is discussed. Furthermore, the ‘UV curing’ module can be employed to solidify the generated droplets to avoid coalescence and fix the status of the Janus particles. The proposed modular droplet generators are promising candidates for various chemical and biological applications, such as single-cell incubation, screening of protein crystallization conditions, synthesis of nanoparticles, and gene delivery. In addition, we envision that more functional modules, e.g., valve, microreactor, and detection modules, could be developed, and the 3D standardized modular microfluidics could be further applied to other complex systems, i.e., concentration gradient generators and clinical diagnostic systems.

| S-EPMC9775649 | biostudies-literature

A 3D-printed modular magnetic digital microfluidic architecture for on-demand bioanalysis.

Project description:Magnetic digital microfluidics (MDM) manipulates fluids in the form of droplets on an open substrate, and incorporates surface energy traps (SETs) to facilitate the droplet manipulation. Conventional MDM devices are fabricated monolithically, which makes it difficult to modify the device configuration without completely overhauling the original design. In this paper, we present a modular MDM architecture that enables rapid on-demand configuration and re-configuration of MDM platforms for customized bioanalyses. Each modular component contains a SET and a Lego-like antistud that fits onto a base board with Lego-like studs. We illustrate the versatility of the modular MDM architecture in biomarker sensing, pathogen identification, antibiotic resistance determination, and biochemical quantification by demonstrating immunoassays, phenotypical assays and enzymatic assays on various modular MDM platforms configured on demand to accomplish the fluidic operations required by assorted bioanalytical assays. The modular MDM architecture promises great potential for point-of-care diagnostics by offering on-demand customization of testing platforms for various categories of diagnostic assays. It also provides a new avenue for microfluidic assay development with its high configurability which would significantly reduce the time and cost of the development cycle.

| S-EPMC8433373 | biostudies-literature

A User-Centric 3D-Printed Modular Peristaltic Pump for Microfluidic Perfusion Applications.

Project description:Microfluidic organ-on-a-chip (OoC) technology has enabled studies on dynamic physiological conditions as well as being deployed in drug testing applications. A microfluidic pump is an essential component to perform perfusion cell culture in OoC devices. However, it is challenging to have a single pump that can fulfil both the customization function needed to mimic a myriad of physiological flow rates and profiles found in vivo and multiplexing requirements (i.e., low cost, small footprint) for drug testing operations. The advent of 3D printing technology and open-source programmable electronic controllers presents an opportunity to democratize the fabrication of mini-peristaltic pumps suitable for microfluidic applications at a fraction of the cost of commercial microfluidic pumps. However, existing 3D-printed peristaltic pumps have mainly focused on demonstrating the feasibility of using 3D printing to fabricate the structural components of the pump and neglected user experience and customization capability. Here, we present a user-centric programmable 3D-printed mini-peristaltic pump with a compact design and low manufacturing cost (~USD 175) suitable for perfusion OoC culture applications. The pump consists of a user-friendly, wired electronic module that controls the operation of a peristaltic pump module. The peristaltic pump module comprises an air-sealed stepper motor connected to a 3D-printed peristaltic assembly, which can withstand the high-humidity environment of a cell culture incubator. We demonstrated that this pump allows users to either program the electronic module or use different-sized tubing to deliver a wide range of flow rates and flow profiles. The pump also has multiplexing capability as it can accommodate multiple tubing. The performance and user-friendliness of this low-cost, compact pump can be easily deployed for various OoC applications.

| S-EPMC10222968 | biostudies-literature

3D-printed microfluidic automation.

Project description:Microfluidic automation - the automated routing, dispensing, mixing, and/or separation of fluids through microchannels - generally remains a slowly-spreading technology because device fabrication requires sophisticated facilities and the technology's use demands expert operators. Integrating microfluidic automation in devices has involved specialized multi-layering and bonding approaches. Stereolithography is an assembly-free, 3D-printing technique that is emerging as an efficient alternative for rapid prototyping of biomedical devices. Here we describe fluidic valves and pumps that can be stereolithographically printed in optically-clear, biocompatible plastic and integrated within microfluidic devices at low cost. User-friendly fluid automation devices can be printed and used by non-engineers as replacement for costly robotic pipettors or tedious manual pipetting. Engineers can manipulate the designs as digital modules into new devices of expanded functionality. Printing these devices only requires the digital file and electronic access to a printer.

| S-EPMC4382387 | biostudies-literature

3D Printed Microfluidic Probes.

Project description:In this work, we fabricate microfluidic probes (MFPs) in a single step by stereolithographic 3D printing and benchmark their performance with standard MFPs fabricated via glass or silicon micromachining. Two research teams join forces to introduce two independent designs and fabrication protocols, using different equipment. Both strategies adopted are inexpensive and simple (they only require a stereolithography printer) and are highly customizable. Flow characterization is performed by reproducing previously published microfluidic dipolar and microfluidic quadrupolar reagent delivery profiles which are compared to the expected results from numerical simulations and scaling laws. Results show that, for most MFP applications, printer resolution artifacts have negligible impact on probe operation, reagent pattern formation, and cell staining results. Thus, any research group with a moderate resolution (?100?µm) stereolithography printer will be able to fabricate the MFPs and use them for processing cells, or generating microfluidic concentration gradients. MFP fabrication involved glass and/or silicon micromachining, or polymer micromolding, in every previously published article on the topic. We therefore believe that 3D printed MFPs is poised to democratize this technology. We contribute to initiate this trend by making our CAD files available for the readers to test our "print & probe" approach using their own stereolithographic 3D printers.

| S-EPMC6054653 | biostudies-literature

3D Printed Multimaterial Microfluidic Valve.

Project description:We present a novel 3D printed multimaterial microfluidic proportional valve. The microfluidic valve is a fundamental primitive that enables the development of programmable, automated devices for controlling fluids in a precise manner. We discuss valve characterization results, as well as exploratory design variations in channel width, membrane thickness, and membrane stiffness. Compared to previous single material 3D printed valves that are stiff, these printed valves constrain fluidic deformation spatially, through combinations of stiff and flexible materials, to enable intricate geometries in an actuated, functionally graded device. Research presented marks a shift towards 3D printing multi-property programmable fluidic devices in a single step, in which integrated multimaterial valves can be used to control complex fluidic reactions for a variety of applications, including DNA assembly and analysis, continuous sampling and sensing, and soft robotics.

| S-EPMC4985141 | biostudies-literature

Modular microfluidic systems cast from 3D-printed molds for imaging leukocyte adherence to differentially treated endothelial cultures.

Project description:Microfluidic systems are very useful for in vitro studies of interactions between blood cells and vascular endothelial cells under flow, and several commercial solutions exist. However, the availability of customizable, user-designed devices is largely restricted to researchers with expertise in photolithography and access to clean room facilities. Here we describe a strategy for producing tailor-made modular microfluidic systems, cast in PDMS from 3D-printed molds, to facilitate studies of leukocyte adherence to endothelial cells. A dual-chamber barrier module was optimized for culturing two endothelial cell populations, separated by a 250 μm wide dividing wall, on a glass slide. In proof-of-principle experiments one endothelial population was activated by TNFα, while the other served as an internal control. The barrier module was thereafter replaced with a microfluidic flow module, enclosing both endothelial populations in a common channel. A suspension of fluorescently-labeled leukocytes was then perfused through the flow module and leukocyte interactions with control and TNFα-treated endothelial populations were monitored in the same field of view. Time-lapse microscopy analysis confirmed the preferential attachment of leukocytes to the TNFα-activated endothelial cells. We conclude that the functionality of these modular microfluidic systems makes it possible to seed and differentially activate adherent cell types, and conduct controlled side-by-side analysis of their capacity to interact with cells in suspension under flow. Furthermore, we outline a number of practical considerations and solutions associated with connecting and switching between the microfluidic modules, and the advantages of simultaneously and symmetrically analyzing control and experimental conditions in such a microfluidic system.

| S-EPMC6683170 | biostudies-literature

3D-Printed Microfluidic Perfusion System for Parallel Monitoring of Hydrogel-Embedded Cell Cultures.

Project description:The use of three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures has become increasingly popular in the contexts of drug discovery, disease modelling, and tissue engineering, as they aim to replicate in vivo-like conditions. To achieve this, new hydrogels are being developed to mimic the extracellular matrix. Testing the ability of these hydrogels is crucial, and the presented 3D-printed microfluidic perfusion system offers a novel solution for the parallel cultivation and evaluation of four separate 3D cell cultures. This system enables easy microscopic monitoring of the hydrogel-embedded cells and significantly reduces the required volumes of hydrogel and cell suspension. This cultivation device is comprised of two 3D-printed parts, which provide four cell-containing hydrogel chambers and the associated perfusion medium chambers. An interfacing porous membrane ensures a defined hydrogel thickness and prevents flow-induced hydrogel detachment. Integrated microfluidic channels connect the perfusion chambers to the overall perfusion system, which can be operated in a standard CO2-incubator. A 3D-printed adapter ensures the compatibility of the cultivation device with standard imaging systems. Cultivation and cell staining experiments with hydrogel-embedded murine fibroblasts confirmed that cell morphology, viability, and growth inside this cultivation device are comparable with those observed within standard 96-well plates. Due to the high degree of customization offered by additive manufacturing, this system has great potential to be used as a customizable platform for 3D cell culture applications.

| S-EPMC10378615 | biostudies-literature

3D-printed assistive pipetting system for gel electrophoresis for technicians with low acuity vision.

Project description:In molecular biology laboratories, many tasks require fine motor control and high acuity vision. For example, lab technicians with visual impairment experience difficulty loading samples into the small wells of a horizontal agarose gel. We have developed a 3D-printable gel loading system which allows technicians with low-contrast vision to load gels correctly. It includes a casting tray, a bridge, and a modified comb. The system provides a high-contrast visual field to improve visibility, and the bridge allows pipette tips to be inserted at the correct location and only to the correct depth. The necessary computer files for printing this device are freely available to increase the accessibility of molecular biology laboratories to people with visual impairment.

| S-EPMC7852844 | biostudies-literature

A 3D-Printed Modular Microreservoir for Drug Delivery.

Project description:Reservoir-based drug delivery microsystems have enabled novel and effective drug delivery concepts in recent decades. These systems typically comprise integrated storing and pumping components. Here we present a stand-alone, modular, thin, scalable, and refillable microreservoir platform as a storing component of these microsystems for implantable and transdermal drug delivery. Three microreservoir capacities (1, 10, and 100 µL) were fabricated with 3 mm overall thickness using stereolithography 3D-printing technology, enabling the fabrication of the device structure comprising a storing area and a refill port. A thin, preformed dome-shaped storing membrane was created by the deposition of parylene-C over a polyethylene glycol sacrificial layer, creating a force-free membrane that causes zero forward flow and insignificant backward flow (2% of total volume) due to membrane force. A septum pre-compression concept was introduced that enabled the realization of a 1-mm-thick septa capable of ~65000 leak-free refill punctures under 100 kPa backpressure. The force-free storing membrane enables using normally-open micropumps for drug delivery, and potentially improves the efficiency and precision of normally-closed micropumps. The ultra-thin septum reduces the thickness of refillable drug delivery devices, and is capable of thousands of leak-free refills. This modular and scalable device can be used for drug delivery in different laboratory animals and humans, as a sampling device, and for lab-on-a-chip and point-of-care diagnostics applications.

| S-EPMC7407798 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data