The authors would like to thank Professor Howard Ceri from the Biological Sciences Department of the University of Calgary for providing bacterial strains. A. Kumar acknowledges support from NSERC. T. Thundat acknowledges financial support from the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) program. The authors would also like to acknowledge help from Ms. Zahra Nikakhtari for help with videography.

Executar os protocolos experimentais aqui na ordem descrita abaixo. Protocolos de microfabricação para criar a plataforma de microfluidos são discutidos no Passo 1 Passo 2 descreve o protocolo de cultura de bactérias (Figura 2), e Passo 3 refere-se a montagem da instalação experimental (Figura 3). Finalmente, o passo real experimental é descrito no Passo 4. 1 Chip Fabricação Procedimento NOTA: Proper procedimentos de segurança devem ser seguidas para os processos descritos abaixo. Consulte o oficial de segurança institucional para mais detalhes. <ol><li> Projete a máscara com um software apropriado (por exemplo, L-Edit). O desenho é constituído por um canal principal micro-canal de largura de 625 m. A região central do canal contém uma matriz de micro-postos 50 um de diâmetro, espaçados de 25 um (ver a ficheiros suplementar). </li><li> Imprima este projeto em vidro (5 &quot;x 5&quot; vidro soda cal), Que tem uma espessura de 0,09 &quot;e é revestido por cerca de 70 nm de espessura da camada de crómio (Cr), usando mascaramento de modo a preparar uma máscara de foto. Utilização AZ400K programador durante 1 min. Seguida, gravar a camada de Cr Cr usando cáustico durante cerca de 1 min a utilização de acetona para retirar a resistir e limpá-lo com uma solução fria de piranha. (H 2 SO 4 e H 2 O 2 em uma proporção de 3: 1). </li><li> Fotolitografia <ol><li> Limpe uma bolacha 4 &quot;de silício padrão quimicamente com solução piranha para 20 min. </li><li> Lavar o wafer com água DI e secá-la. </li><li> Aquece-se a bolacha em uma placa quente (200 ° C durante 15 min). </li><li> Cubra o wafer de silício com photoresist. Aqui, o revestimento fotoprotector positivo AZ4620 foi revestido por centrifugação sobre uma bolacha de silício, a 2000 rpm durante 25 segundos para se obter uma camada de espessura de 12,5 | iM. </li><li> Remover todo o solvente por cozimento da bolacha mole em uma placa quente, flutuando a bolacha durante 90 segundos em fluxo de azoto a 100 ° C. Em seguida, mantê-lo no vácuo a tele mesma temperatura durante 60 seg. </li><li> Coloque a bolacha em uma caixa escura por 24 horas para a desidratação. </li><li> Expor a pastilha à luz ultravioleta, a fim de transferir o padrão concebido para o foto-resistente. </li><li> Mergulha-se o wafer foto-resistente na solução de revelação (AZ400K) para 240 seg. Em seguida, lavar a bolacha com álcool isopropílico e secá-lo, colocando em uma corrente de azoto gasoso. </li></ol></li><li> ICP-DRIE (plasma indutivamente acoplado - Deep Reactive Ion Etching) Processo <ol><li> Aplicar DRIE gravura. Escolha a profundidade etch adequado de acordo com a profundidade final necessária para o dispositivo (50 mm nesta investigação). Photoresist actua como uma camada de máscara, durante este processo. </li><li> Remover o fotorresistente remanescente com acetona e limpar a bolacha. </li></ol></li><li> PDMS (polidimetilsiloxano) Fundição <ol><li> Use triclorometilsilano (EMT) para silanização o molde mestre de silício. Despeje 2 ou 3 gotas de triclorometilsilano em um frasco e colocá-lo num exsicador junto aomolde mestre de silício. Permitir 2-3 horas para o processo de silanização para ser concluído. </li><li> Num recipiente separado, misturar a base de silicone Sylgard 184 com o agente de cura pela relação de peso de 10: 1 para preparar PDMS. Desgasificar o PDMS, submetendo-o a condições de vácuo (cerca de 2 h). </li><li> Coloque o molde mestre de silício em um suporte. Em seguida, despejar o PDMS sobre o molde mestre de silício para formar o selo de PDMS. Certifique-se de que não se formam bolhas de PDMS durante este processo. </li><li> Curar o PDMS durante 2 horas a 80 ° C. </li><li> Retire o selo PDMS do molde mestre. Em seguida, corte os PDMS carimbar em microchips separados. Finalmente, a utilização de um núcleo de corte de furos para a entrada (s) e saída (s). </li></ol></li><li> Colagem de PDMS para Vidro <ol><li> Expor a lamínula e PDMS selo de plasma de oxigênio por 30 seg. Vínculo PDMS selo à lamela. </li><li> Para obter uma vedação adequada entre o carimbo de PDMS e o deslizamento da tampa, o dispositivo de recozimento, colocando-o num forno a 70 ° C durante 10 min. </li&gt; </ol></li></ol> 2 Cultura bacteriana NOTA: protocolos adequados de biossegurança devem ser seguidas para os passos 2-4. Consulte o oficial de segurança institucional para mais detalhes. <ol><li> Prepare placas LB Agar <ol><li> Adicionar 20 g de meio de Luria-Bertani (LB) agar (Miller) pós e 500 ml de água ultra-pura a um balão de 1 L. Agita-se a dissolver o pó. </li><li> Esterilizar por autoclave a 15 psi, a 121 ° C durante 15 min. </li><li> Permitir que o balão arrefeça a 50-55 ° C num banco ou num banho de água na capa de biossegurança. </li><li> Adicionar o antibiótico tetraciclina para se conseguir uma concentração final de 50 ug / ml. Misture bem por agitação. </li><li> Despeje a mistura em placas. Encha cada prato até meia - 2/3 cheio. </li><li> Chama bolhas de ar brevemente para estourá-los se formar. Bolhas de ar solidificados são difíceis de espalhar a cultura bacteriana over. </li><li> Permitir que as placas de arrefecer à temperatura ambiente durante a noite. </li><li> Quando eles são legais,colocar placas de volta para a sua manga, selar o saco, etiqueta (antibiótico e data), e armazenar a 4 ° C. NOTA: Cubra o estoque de placas com papel de alumínio, como a luz desativa muitos antibióticos. </li></ol></li><li> Caldo LB Preparação <ol><li> Adicionar 20 g de meio de Luria-Bertani (LB) broth (Miller) pós e 1 L de água ultrapura com um balão. Agita-se a dissolver o pó. </li><li> Esterilizar por autoclave a 15 psi, a 121 ° C durante 15 min. </li><li> Permitir balão arrefecer até 50-55 ° C num banco ou num banho de água na capa de biossegurança. </li><li> Adicionar o antibiótico tetraciclina para se conseguir uma concentração final de 50 ug / ml. Misture bem por agitação. </li><li> Quando estiver frio, coloque a garrafa rotulada a 4 ° C. NOTA: Cubra a garrafa com papel de alumínio, como a luz desativa muitos antibióticos. </li></ol></li><li> Cultura das bactérias em uma placa de LB Agar (Este protocolo utiliza Pseudomonas fluorescens) <ol><li> Pegue o estoque de bactérias do freezer (-80 °; C) e coloque-o no gelo. </li><li> Coloque o ° C -80 estoque bacteriana e uma placa de ágar LB dentro de uma capa de biossegurança. </li><li> Streak a estirpe bacteriana em uma placa de ágar LB em ziguezague. Cubra a placa de ágar e incubar-lo a 30 ° C durante a noite. Finalmente, a placa de armazenar no frigorífico a 4 ° C. </li></ol></li><li> Preparar a solução bacteriana (S1) <ol><li> Despeje 50 ml de caldo LB mídia para um frasco autoclavado. Realize esta operação dentro de uma capa de biossegurança. </li><li> Transferir uma única colónia bacteriana da placa de agar LB para o balão. Esta operação deverá ser realizada dentro de um capuz de biossegurança. </li><li> Colocar o balão numa incubadora com agitação a 30 ° C e 150 rpm durante um tempo suficiente (4 h). </li></ol></li><li> Preparar a solução bacteriana diluída (S2) <ol><li> Despeje 5 ml de caldo de meio LB num tubo de plástico esterilizado. </li><li> Diluir S1 por mistura com meio LB. Então, Vórtice a solução. Dilui-se a solução atingir a desejada ópticaai densidade (OD medido a 600 nm = 0,1). NOTA: experimentos biofilme normalmente empregam valores de DO nesta vizinhança. </li></ol></li></ol> 3 Prepare o Setup Experimental <ol><li> Usando pinças ligar tubos de plástico flexíveis (0.20 &quot;ID) na entrada (s) e saída (s) de que o microchip. As entradas e saídas foram previamente perfurados na porção de PDMS do microchip (passo 1.5.5). Nesta investigação , o circuito integrado é composto de duas entradas e uma saída. </li><li> Encher a seringa (s) com a solução bacteriana (solução S2) e remover todas as bolhas na seringa (s). </li><li> Conecte a ponta da seringa (s) (30 G 0.5 &quot;agulha romba) no tubo (s) de entrada. Então, conecte tubo de saída (s) para contentor de resíduos. </li></ol> 4 Execute o Experimento <ol><li> Ligar a seringa (s) para a ponta (s) seringa. </li><li> Local e correção seringa (s) para a bomba de seringa. Em seguida, coloque o microchip sob um microscópio óptico com lentes objetivas de desired ampliação (por exemplo, 40X). Cobrir o microchip com um aparelho de câmara de células vivas para manter um ambiente de temperatura constante para o crescimento bacteriano (30 ° C por P. fluorescens). </li><li> A bomba para o nível de fluxo desejado (por exemplo 10 l / h) e iniciar o bombeamento de fluidos. </li><li> Uma vez que as bactérias são introduzidas na câmara, a formação de biofilme é também iniciada. A formação de biofilme e de maturação tipicamente ocorrem ao longo de um período de várias horas ou mesmo dias. Observar e tirar fotos de crescimento do biofilme através do microscópio. </li></ol>

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The authors have nothing to disclose.

Nós demonstramos um dispositivo micro simples que imita meios porosos para estudar o desenvolvimento de biofilme em habitats complexos. Existem vários passos críticos que ditam o resultado das experiências. Eles incluem a geometria do dispositivo. Embora a geometria pós podem variar, de poros adequado para o espaço de modo a formar serpentinas é necessário. Além disso, Valiei et al. 1 demonstraram que a formação da flâmula ocorre apenas em um determinado intervalo das taxas de fluxo. Em t...

Recentemente, demonstramos dinâmica de formação do biofilme bacteriano em um dispositivo micro que imita meios porosos 1. Biofilme bacteriano são essencialmente colônias de bactérias da superfície agregados que são revestidas por substâncias poliméricas extracelulares (EPS) 2-4. Estas películas finas de bactérias podem formar em quase todos os nichos concebível que varia de superfícies lisas ao habitat muito mais complexa de meios porosos. Valiei et al. Uma usado um dispositivo de microfluidos com uma matriz de micro-pilares para simular uma estrutura de meio poroso estudado a formação de biofilme e neste dispositivo, em função da taxa de fluxo do fluido. Eles descobriram que em um determinado regime de fluxo, os biofilmes filamentosos, conhecidos como flâmulas começaram a surgir entre os diferentes pilares. Flâmulas pode ser amarrado a uma ou ambas as extremidades a superfícies sólidas, mas o resto da estrutura é suspenso num líquido. Formação Streamer normalmente começa depois de uma primeira camada de biofilme foi formado e seu formatoion pode ditar a evolução a longo prazo de biofilme em tais habitats complexos. Recentemente, vários pesquisadores têm investigado a dinâmica de formação de serpentina. Yazdi et al. 5 mostrou que as serpentinas podem formar-se os fluxos de turbilhão originários a partir de uma bolha de oscilação. Numa outra experiência, Rusconi et al. 6 investigaram o efeito de curvatura do canal e da geometria do canal sobre a formação de fitas. Eles descobriram que as fitas podem se formar em trechos curvos de microcanais e morfologia de galhardetes está relacionada à mobilidade. Pesquisas recentes têm demonstrado que os galhardetes pode ter amplas repercussões em vários cenários naturais e artificiais como eles podem atuar como precursores da formação de estruturas maduras nas interfaces porosas, levar à proliferação de biofilme rápida e catastrófica em um sistemas biomédicos, e também causar fluxo-substancial interações estrutura, etc 1,7-9. Flâmulas biofilme muitas vezes formam ihabitats n complexos, tais como meios porosos. Crescimento do biofilme Entendimento em ambiente de meios porosos é relevante a vários processos ambientais e industriais, tais como o tratamento biológico de águas residuais 10, mantendo a integridade de poços em situações como a captura de CO 2 11 e entupimento dos poros no solo 12. Observando a formação de biofilme em tais habitats complexos, muitas vezes pode ser um desafio, devido à opacidade de meios porosos. Em tais situações, as plataformas de mídia porosos microfluídicos com base pode ser extremamente vantajoso, pois permitem em tempo real e monitoramento in situ. Outra vantagem da microfluídica é a capacidade de construir vários reatores em uma única plataforma bio-microfluídicos e, simultaneamente, permitir o monitoramento e / ou incorporação de sensores online. A flexibilidade para implementar várias experiências de laboratório em um dispositivo e a capacidade de recolher dados pertinentes significativas para a análise estatística rigorosa é um adv importanteantage de sistemas microfluídicos 13,14. No contexto da discussão acima, dinâmica de formação flâmula compreensão em um ambiente de meio poroso seria benéfico para várias aplicações. No presente estudo, nós desenvolvemos o protocolo para investigar a formação de um dispositivo de serpentina de em que mimetiza meios porosos. Confecção da plataforma microfluídica, são descritos os passos necessários para a cultura de células e experimentação. Nas nossas experiências, a estirpe bacteriana tipo selvagem de Pseudomonas fluorescens foi empregue. P fluorescens, que se encontra naturalmente no solo, tem um papel fundamental na manutenção da ecologia do solo 15. A estirpe bacteriana utilizada foi geneticamente manipulada para expressar a proteína fluorescente verde (GFP) constitutivamente.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1038">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:325px;">Name of Material/ Equipment</td>
			<td style="width:255px;">Company</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">Catalog Number</td>
			<td style="width:339px;">Comments/Description</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:325px;">Flourescent Microscope</td>
			<td style="width:255px;">Nikon</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:325px;">LB agar</td>
			<td style="width:255px;">Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">BP1425-500</td>
			<td>suspend 40 g in 1 L of purified water</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:325px;">LB broth</td>
			<td style="width:255px;">Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">BP1427-500</td>
			<td>suspend 20 g in 1 L of purified water</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:325px;">Biosafety hood</td>
			<td style="width:255px;">Microzone corporation</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:325px;">Petri-dish</td>
			<td style="width:255px;">Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">875712</td>
			<td>sterile 100mmx15mm polystyrene petri dish</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="23">
			<td height="23" style="height:23px;width:325px;">Incubator shaker</td>
			<td>New Brunswick Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:339px;">Excella E24incubator shaker series</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">50 mL sterilized centrifuge tube</td>
			<td style="width:255px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">430828</td>
			<td>Polypropylene Rnase-/Dnase-free</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:325px;">Tetracycline free base</td>
			<td style="width:255px;">MP Biomedicals</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">103012</td>
			<td>50 ug/mL</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:325px;">SYLGARD 184 silicone</td>
			<td style="width:255px;">Dow Corning Corporation</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">68037-59-2</td>
			<td>Elastomer Base and curing agent</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:325px;">Positive photoresist (AZ4620)</td>
			<td style="width:255px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:325px;">Plastic tube</td>
			<td style="width:255px;">Cole- Parmer</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

protocol for biofilm streamer formation in a microfluidic device with micro-pillars

Várias espécies bacterianas possuem a capacidade para ligar a superfícies e colonizar-los sob a forma de películas finas chamadas biofilmes. Os biofilmes que crescem em meios porosos são relevantes para vários processos industriais e ambientais, como o tratamento de águas residuais e sequestro de CO 2. Usamos Pseudomonas fluorescens, uma bactéria Gram-negativa aeróbica, para investigar a formação de biofilmes em um dispositivo de microfluidos, que imita meios porosos. O dispositivo de microfluidos consiste de uma matriz de micro-mensagens, que foram fabricados utilizando-litografia macia. Subsequentemente, a formação de biofilmes em estes dispositivos com o fluxo foi investigado e que demonstram a formação de biofilmes filamentosos conhecidos como serpentinas em nosso dispositivo. Os protocolos detalhados para fabricação e montagem de dispositivos microfluídicos são fornecidos aqui, juntamente com os protocolos de cultura de bactérias. Os procedimentos detalhados para a experimentação com o dispositivo micro também são apresentados juntamente com o representanteresultados.

Usando o protocolo de microfabricação acima mencionado, um dispositivo de microfluidos com base de PDMS foi construído. Figura 1 mostra o microscópio electrónico de varrimento (SEM) de imagens do dispositivo de PDMS. Figura 1a mostra a secção de entrada do dispositivo. Uma entrada de tipo forquilha é criado para equalizar a pressão do outro lado da cabeça do dispositivo. Outras imagens de SEM mostraram igualmente que as paredes da coluna são quase verticais (Figura 1b...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Protocol for Biofilm Streamer Formation in a Microfluidic Device with Micro-pillars at JoVE.com

Protocol for Biofilm Streamer Formation in a Microfluidic Device with Micro-pillars

Protocols for the study of biofilm formation in a microfluidic device that mimics porous media are discussed. The microfluidic device consists of an array of micro-pillars and biofilm formation by Pseudomonas fluorescens in this device is investigated.

Protocolo para a formação de biofilme Streamer em um dispositivo micro com micro-pilares

Several bacterial species possess the ability to attach to surfaces and colonize them in the form of thin films called biofilms. Biofilms that grow in ...

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Research

JoVE Journal

Bioengineering

12.1K visualizações.  University of Alberta. Protocols for the study of biofilm formation in a microfluidic device that mimics porous media are discussed. The microfluidic device consists of an array of micro-pillars and biofilm formation by Pseudomonas fluorescens in this device is investigated. 

Vídeo: Protocol for Biofilm Streamer Formation in a Microfluidic Device with Micro-pillars

Microfluidic Device for Recreating a Tumor Microenvironment in Vitro

We have developed a microfluidic device that mimics the delivery and systemic clearance of drugs to heterogeneous three-dimensional tumor tissues in vitro. Nutrients delivered by vasculature fail to reach all parts of tumors, giving rise to heterogeneous microenvironments consisting of viable, quiescent and necrotic cell types. Many cancer drugs fail to effectively penetrate and treat all types of cells because of this heterogeneity. Monolayers of cancer cells do not mimic this heterogeneity, making it difficult to test cancer drugs with a suitable in vitro model. Our microfluidic devices were fabricated out of PDMS using soft lithography. Multicellular tumor spheroids, formed by the hanging drop method, were inserted and constrained into rectangular chambers on the device and maintained with continuous medium perfusion on one side. The rectangular shape of chambers on the device created linear gradients within tissue. Fluorescent stains were used to quantify the variability in apoptosis within tissue. Tumors on the device were treated with the fluorescent chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin, time-lapse microscopy was used to monitor its diffusion into tissue, and the effective diffusion coefficient was estimated. The hanging drop method allowed quick formation of uniform spheroids from several cancer cell lines. The device enabled growth of spheroids for up to 3 days. Cells in proximity of flowing medium were minimally apoptotic and those far from the channel were more apoptotic, thereby accurately mimicking regions in tumors adjacent to blood vessels. The estimated value of the doxorubicin diffusion coefficient agreed with a previously reported value in human breast cancer. Because the penetration and retention of drugs in solid tumors affects their efficacy, we believe that this device is an important tool in understanding the behavior of drugs, and developing new cancer therapeutics.

Microfluidic Device for Recreating a Tumor Microenvironment in Vitro

We present the procedure for fabrication and operation of a microfluidic device that recreates heterogeneous tumor microenvironments in vitro. The variability in apoptosis within tumor tissue was quantified using fluorescent stains and the effective diffusion coefficient of the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin into tumor tissue was evaluated.

Dispositivo microfluídicos para Recriando um microambiente do tumor<em&gt; In Vitro</em

We have developed a microfluidic device that mimics the delivery and systemic clearance of drugs to heterogeneous three-dimensional tumor tissues in ...

Bioengenharia

A Microfluidic Device for Studying Multiple Distinct Strains

The study of cell responses to environmental changes poses many experimental challenges: cells need to be imaged under changing conditions, often in a comparative manner. Multiwell plates are routinely used to compare many different strains or cell lines, but allow limited control over the environment dynamics. Microfluidic devices, on the other hand, allow exquisite dynamic control over the surrounding conditions, but it is challenging to image and distinguish more than a few strains in them. Here we describe a method to easily and rapidly manufacture a microfluidic device capable of applying dynamically changing conditions to multiple distinct yeast strains in one channel. The device is designed and manufactured by simple means without the need for soft lithography. It is composed of a Y-shaped flow channel attached to a second layer harboring microwells. The strains are placed in separate microwells, and imaged under the exact same dynamic conditions. We demonstrate the use of the device for measuring protein localization responses to pulses of nutrient changes in different yeast strains.

We present a simple method to produce microfluidic devices capable of applying similar dynamic conditions to multiple distinct strains, without the need for a clean room or soft lithography.

Um dispositivo micro para o Estudo múltiplas linhagens distintas

The study of cell responses to environmental changes poses many experimental challenges: cells need to be imaged under changing conditions, often in a ...

Microfluidic Fabrication of Polymeric and Biohybrid Fibers with Predesigned Size and Shape

A &#8220;sheath&#8221; fluid passing through a microfluidic channel at low Reynolds number can be directed around another &#8220;core&#8221; stream and used to dictate the shape as well as the diameter of a core stream.&#160;Grooves in the top and bottom of a microfluidic channel were designed to direct the sheath fluid and shape the core fluid.&#160;By matching the viscosity and hydrophilicity of the sheath and core fluids, the interfacial effects are minimized and complex fluid shapes can be formed.&#160;Controlling the relative flow rates of the sheath and core fluids determines the cross-sectional area of the core fluid.&#160;Fibers have been produced with sizes ranging from 300 nm to ~1 mm, and fiber cross-sections can be round, flat, square, or complex as in the case with double anchor fibers. Polymerization of the core fluid downstream from the shaping region solidifies the fibers.&#160;Photoinitiated click chemistries are well suited for rapid polymerization of the core fluid by irradiation with ultraviolet light.&#160;Fibers with a wide variety of shapes have been produced from a list of polymers including liquid crystals, poly(methylmethacrylate), thiol-ene and thiol-yne resins, polyethylene glycol, and hydrogel derivatives. Minimal shear during the shaping process and mild polymerization conditions also makes the fabrication process well suited for encapsulation of cells and other biological components.

Two adjacent fluids passing through a grooved microfluidic channel can be directed to form a sheath around a prepolymer core; thereby&#160;determining both shape and cross-section. Photoinitiated polymerization, such as thiol click chemistry, is well suited for rapidly solidifying the core fluid into a microfiber with predetermined size and shape.

Fabricação microfluida de fibras poliméricas e biohibridas com tamanho e forma predesigned

A &#8220;sheath&#8221; fluid passing through a microfluidic channel at low Reynolds number can be directed around another &#8220;core&#8221; stream and ...

Analyzing Mixing Inhomogeneity in a Microfluidic Device by Microscale Schlieren Technique

In this paper, we introduce the use of microscale schlieren technique to measure mixing inhomogeneity in a microfluidic device. The microscale schlieren system is constructed from a Hoffman modulation contrast microscope, which provides easy access to the rear focal plane of the objective lens, by removing the slit plate and replacing the modulator with a knife-edge. The working principle of microscale schlieren technique relies on detecting light deflection caused by variation of refractive index1-3. The deflected light either escapes or is obstructed by the knife-edge to produce a bright or a dark band, respectively. If the refractive index of the mixture varies linearly with its composition, the local change in light intensity in the image plane is proportional to the concentration gradient normal to the optical axis. The micro-schlieren image gives a two-dimensional projection of the disturbed light produced by three-dimensional inhomogeneity.
To accomplish quantitative analysis, we describe a calibration procedure that mixes two fluids in a T-microchannel. We carry out a numerical simulation to obtain the concentration gradient in the T-microchannel that correlates closely with the corresponding micro-schlieren image. By comparison, a relationship between the grayscale readouts of the micro-schlieren image and the concentration gradients presented in a microfluidic device is established. Using this relationship, we are able to analyze the mixing inhomogeneity from associate micro-schlieren image and demonstrate the capability of microscale schlieren technique with measurements in a microfluidic oscillator4. For optically transparent fluids, microscale schlieren technique is an attractive diagnostic tool to provide instantaneous full-field information that retains the three-dimensional features of the mixing process.

Herein, we describe a procedure that employs microscale schlieren technique to measure mixing inhomogeneity in a microfluidic device. Through calibration, distribution of concentration gradient can be derived from the micro-schlieren image.

Analisando falta de homogeneidade de mistura em um dispositivo micro, pela técnica Microscale Schlieren

In this paper, we introduce the use of microscale schlieren technique to measure mixing inhomogeneity in a microfluidic device. The microscale schlieren ...

Co-culture of Living Microbiome with Microengineered Human Intestinal Villi in a Gut-on-a-Chip Microfluidic Device

Here, we describe a protocol to perform long-term co-culture of multi-species human gut microbiome with microengineered intestinal villi in a human gut-on-a-chip microphysiological device. We recapitulate the intestinal lumen-capillary tissue interface in a microfluidic device, where physiological mechanical deformations and fluid shear flow are constantly applied to mimic peristalsis. In the lumen microchannel, human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells are cultured to form a &#39;germ-free&#39; villus epithelium and regenerate small intestinal villi. Pre-cultured microbial cells are inoculated into the lumen side to establish a host-microbe ecosystem. After microbial cells adhere to the apical surface of the villi, fluid flow and mechanical deformations are resumed to produce a steady-state microenvironment in which fresh culture medium is constantly supplied and unbound bacteria (as well as bacterial wastes) are continuously removed. After extended co-culture from days to weeks, multiple microcolonies are found to be randomly located between the villi, and both microbial and epithelial cells remain viable and functional for at least one week in culture. Our co-culture protocol can be adapted to provide a versatile platform for other host-microbiome ecosystems that can be found in various human organs, which may facilitate in vitro study of the role of human microbiome in orchestrating health and disease.

We describe an in vitro protocol to co-culture gut microbiome and intestinal villi for an extended period using a human gut-on-a-chip microphysiological system.

Co-cultura de Vida Microbiome com Intestinal Microengineered Humano Villi num Gut-on-a-Chip Microfluidic Dispositivo

Here, we describe a protocol to perform long-term co-culture of multi-species human gut microbiome with microengineered intestinal villi in a human ...

Perfusable Vascular Network with a Tissue Model in a Microfluidic Device

A spheroid (a multicellular aggregate) is regarded as a good model of living tissues in the human body. Despite the significant advancement in the spheroid cultures, a perfusable vascular network in the spheroids remains a critical challenge for long-term culture required to maintain and develop their functions, such as protein expressions and morphogenesis. The protocol presents a novel method to integrate a perfusable vascular network within the spheroid in a microfluidic device. To induce a perfusable vascular network in the spheroid, angiogenic sprouts connected to microchannels were guided to the spheroid by utilizing angiogenic factors from human lung fibroblasts cultured in the spheroid. The angiogenic sprouts reached the spheroid, merged with the endothelial cells co-cultured in the spheroid, and formed a continuous vascular network. The vascular network could perfuse the interior of the spheroid without any leakage. The constructed vascular network may be further used as a route for supply of nutrients and removal of waste products, mimicking blood circulation in vivo. The method provides a new platform in spheroid culture toward better recapitulation of living tissues.

The protocol describes how to engineer a perfusable vascular network in a spheroid. The spheroid's surrounding microenvironment is devised to induce angiogenesis and connect the spheroid to the microchannels in a microfluidic device. The method allows the perfusion of the spheroid, which is a long-awaited technique in three-dimensional cultures.

Perfusable rede Vascular com um modelo de tecido em um dispositivo Microfluidic

A spheroid (a multicellular aggregate) is regarded as a good model of living tissues in the human body. Despite the significant advancement in the ...

A Microfluidic Platform for Stimulating Chondrocytes with Dynamic Compression

Mechanical stimuli are known to modulate biological functions of cells and tissues. Recent studies have suggested that compressive stress alters growth plate cartilage architecture and results in growth modulation of long bones of children. To determine the role of compressive stress in bone growth, we created a microfluidic device actuated by pneumatic pressure, to dynamically (or statically) compress growth plate chondrocytes embedded in alginate hydrogel cylinders. In this article, we describe detailed methods for fabricating and characterizing this device. The advantages of our protocol are: 1) Five different magnitudes of compressive stress can be generated on five technical replicates in a single platform, 2) It is easy to visualize cell morphology via a conventional light microscope, 3) Cells can be rapidly isolated from the device after compression to facilitate downstream assays, and 4) The platform can be applied to study mechanobiology of any cell type that can grow in hydrogels.

This article provides detailed methods for fabricating and characterizing a pneumatically actuating microfluidic device for chondrocyte compression.

Uma plataforma Microfluídico para estimular condrócitos com compressão dinâmica

Mechanical stimuli are known to modulate biological functions of cells and tissues. Recent studies have suggested that compressive stress alters growth ...

Establishing Single-Cell Based Co-Cultures in a Deterministic Manner with a Microfluidic Chip

Cell co-culture assays have been widely used for studying cell-cell interactions between different cell types to better understand the biology of diseases including cancer. However, it is challenging to clarify the complex mechanism of intercellular interactions in highly heterogeneous cell populations using conventional co-culture systems because the heterogeneity of the cell subpopulation is obscured by the average values; the conventional co-culture systems can only be used to describe the population signal, but are incapable of tracking individual cells behavior. Furthermore, conventional single-cell experimental methods have low efficiency in cell manipulation because of the Poisson distribution. Microfabricated devices are an emerging technology for single-cell studies because they can accurately manipulate single cells at high-throughput and can reduce sample and reagent consumption. Here, we describe the concept and application of a microfluidic chip for multiple single-cell co-cultures. The chip can efficiently capture multiple types of single cells in a culture chamber (~46%) and has a sufficient culture space useful to study the cells&#39; behavior (e.g., migration, proliferation, etc.) under cell-cell interaction at the single-cell level. Lymphatic endothelial cells and oral squamous cell carcinoma were used to perform a single-cell co-culture experiment on the microfluidic platform for live multiple single-cell interaction studies.

This report describes a microfluidic chip-based method to set up a single cell culture experiment in which high-efficiency pairing and microscopic analysis of multiple single cells can be achieved.

Estabelecendo co-culturas baseadas em uma única célula de forma determinística com um chip Microfluídico

Cell co-culture assays have been widely used for studying cell-cell interactions between different cell types to better understand the biology of diseases ...

Generation of Dynamical Environmental Conditions using a High-Throughput Microfluidic Device

Mimicking in vivo environmental conditions is crucial for in vitro studies on complex life machinery. However, current techniques targeting live cells and organs are either highly expensive, like robotics, or lack nanoliter volume and millisecond time accuracy in liquid manipulation. We herein present the design and fabrication of a microfluidic system, which consists of 1,500 culture units, an array of enhanced peristaltic pumps and an on-site mixing modulus. To demonstrate the capacities of the microfluidic device, neural stem cell (NSC) spheres are maintained in the proposed system. We observed that when the NSC sphere is exposed to CXCL in day 1 and EGF in day 2, the round-shaped conformation is well maintained. Variation in the input order of 6 drugs causes morphological changes to the NSC sphere and the expression level representative marker for NSC stemness (i.e., Hes5 and Dcx). These results indicate that dynamic and complex environmental conditions have great effects on NSC differentiation and self-renewal, and the proposed microfluidic device is a suitable platform for high throughput studies on the complex life machinery.

We present a microfluidic system for high throughput studies on complex life machinery, which consists of 1500 culture units, an array of enhanced peristaltic pumps and an on-site mixing modulus. The microfluidic chip allows for the analysis of the highly complex and dynamic micro-environmental conditions in vivo.

Geração de Condições Ambientais Dinâmicas usando um dispositivo microfluido de alto rendimento

Mimicking in vivo environmental conditions is crucial for in vitro studies on complex life machinery. However, current techniques targeting live cells and ...

Configuração de um dispositivo microfluídico para produção combinatória de plugues

Bilayer Microfluidic Device for Combinatorial Plug Production

Droplet microfluidics is a versatile tool that allows the execution of a large number of reactions in chemically distinct nanoliter compartments. Such systems have been used to encapsulate a variety of biochemical reactions - from incubation of single cells to implementation of PCR reactions, from genomics to chemical synthesis. Coupling the microfluidic channels with regulatory valves allows control over their opening and closing, thereby enabling the rapid production of large-scale combinatorial libraries consisting of a population of droplets with unique compositions. In this paper, protocols for the fabrication and operation of a pressure-driven, PDMS-based bilayer microfluidic device that can be utilized to generate combinatorial libraries of water-in-oil emulsions called plugs are presented. By incorporating software programs and microfluidic hardware, the flow of desired fluids in the device can be controlled and manipulated to generate combinatorial plug libraries and to control the composition and quantity of constituent plug populations. These protocols will expedite the process of generating combinatorial screens, particularly to study drug response in cells from cancer patient biopsies.

Autor em destaque: Integrando abordagens computacionais e experimentais em oncologia de precisão

The fabrication of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based bilayer device for the production of combinatorial libraries in water-in-oil emulsions (plugs) is presented here. The necessary hardware and software required to automate plug production are detailed in the protocol, and the production of a quantitative library of fluorescent plugs is also demonstrated.

Dispositivo microfluídico bicamada para produção de plugue combinatório

Droplet microfluidics is a versatile tool that allows the execution of a large number of reactions in chemically distinct nanoliter compartments. Such ...