title: Multiple independent autonomous hydraulic oscillators driven by a common gravity head.
abstract: Self-switching microfluidic circuits that are able to perform biochemical experiments in a parallel and autonomous manner, similar to instruction-embedded electronics, are rarely implemented. Here, we present design principles and demonstrations for gravity-driven, integrated, microfluidic pulsatile flow circuits. With a common gravity head as the only driving force, these fluidic oscillator arrays realize a wide range of periods (0.4 s-2 h) and flow rates (0.10-63 μl min(-1)) with completely independent timing between the multiple oscillator sub-circuits connected in parallel. As a model application, we perform systematic, parallel analysis of endothelial cell elongation response to different fluidic shearing patterns generated by the autonomous microfluidic pulsed flow generation system.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Mechanical Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, Republic of Korea [2] Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Sung-Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA [2] Department of Micro Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8540, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yokokawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Sasha Cai
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lesher-Perez
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA [2] Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA [3] Biointerfaces Institute, 2800 Plymouth Road, NCRC Building 10 A183, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA [4] University of Michigan Center for Integrative Research in Critical Care (MCIRCC), Building 10-103A, North Campus Research Complex, 2800 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takayama
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006112:Gravitation; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; D006801:Humans; D044085:Microfluidics; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D033081:Shear Strength; D013314:Stress, Mechanical