title: A pumpless microfluidic device driven by surface tension for pancreatic islet analysis.
abstract: We present a novel pumpless microfluidic array driven by surface tension for studying the physiology of pancreatic islets of Langerhans. Efficient fluid flow in the array is achieved by surface tension-generated pressure as a result of inlet and outlet size differences. Flow properties are characterized in numerical simulation and further confirmed by experimental measurements. Using this device, we perform a set of biological assays, which include real-time fluorescent imaging and insulin secretion kinetics for both mouse and human islets. Our results demonstrate that this system not only drastically simplifies previously published experimental protocols for islet study by eliminating the need for external pumps/tubing and reducing the volume of solution consumption, but it also achieves a higher analytical spatiotemporal resolution due to efficient flow exchanges and the extremely small volume of solutions required. Overall, the microfluidic platform presented can be used as a potential powerful tool for understanding islet physiology, antidiabetic drug development, and islet transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S. Wood St, Rm 502, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.|Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60115, USA.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S. Wood St, Rm 502, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.|Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60115, USA.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nourmohammadzadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S. Wood St, Rm 502, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.|Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60115, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua E Mendoza
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Elias
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S. Wood St, Rm 502, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.|Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60115, USA.
authors.forename: Manwai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S. Wood St, Rm 502, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Zequn
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S. Wood St, Rm 502, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McGarrigle
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S. Wood St, Rm 502, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA. jober@uic.edu.|Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60115, USA. jober@uic.edu.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oberholzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S. Wood St, Rm 502, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA. wangy@uic.edu.|Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60115, USA. wangy@uic.edu.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D056656:Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; D051379:Mice; D061848:Optical Imaging; D033081:Shear Strength; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013500:Surface Tension
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin
keywords: Calcium; Insulin secretion; Islet of Langerhans; Islet physiology; Microfluidic; Pumpless; Surface tension