A high-yield method for generating mass-transfer gradients in elastomer microfluidics using impermeable capillaries.
We demonstrated a robust, inexpensive method for fabricating high-throughput gas gradient generation devices which combined classic mass-transfer limited techniques with the versatility of elastomer microfluidics. The method allowed for dozens of replicate mass-transfer gradient experiments per day, including fabrication and assembly of devices. We demonstrated how our devices can be interfaced with microfluidics and how gradient parameters can be varied. In this work, we applied the method to characterize gradients of pH and cell viability generated in mass-transfer limited cultures of HeLa cells and observed the morphology of differentiating C2Cl2 myoblasts in an oxygen gradient.
Pinelis
Mike
M
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. mikepinelis@earthlink.net.
Shamban
Leonid
L
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
Jovic
Andreja
A
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
Maharbiz
Michel M
MM
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, USA.
D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D020724:Elastomers; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D010539:Permeability
D020724:Elastomers; D010100:Oxygen