On-chip cell immobilization and monitoring system using thermosensitive gel controlled by suspended polymeric microbridge.
In this paper, we describe the fabrication of a temperature-controlled microfluidic chip for cell immobilization using a thermosensitive hydrogel of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm). A mixture of PNIPAAm solution, yeast cells, and Calcein-AM fluorescent dye is flowed in the microchannel, and the indium-tin-oxide (ITO) microheaters that were fabricated by micromachining technology heat a PNIPAAm gel. However, if the gel is very thick, it blocks the observation of the culturing cells and reduces the SNR. To address this problem, we fabricate a suspended microbridge above the microheater that limits the height of the gel, ensuring that it forms a thin and transparent layer above the heater. Microheaters and suspended biocompatible microbridge are integrated on a chip in which yeast-cell immobilization can be performed by gelation of a PNIPAAm solution.
Yamanishi
Yoko
Y
Department of Bioengineering and Robotics, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan. yoko@imech.mech.tohoku.ac.jp
Teramoto
Jun
J
Magariyama
Yukio
Y
Ishihama
Akira
A
Fukuda
Toshio
T
Arai
Fumihito
F
D000178:Acrylamides; D000180:Acrylic Resins; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D018914:Cells, Immobilized; D004867:Equipment Design; D020100:Hydrogels; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D011108:Polymers; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology; D013696:Temperature
D000178:Acrylamides; D000180:Acrylic Resins; D020100:Hydrogels; D011108:Polymers; C052970:poly-N-isopropylacrylamide