Abstract
We propose a system that transports oocytes and measures their mechanical characteristics in an open environment using a robot integrated microfluidic chip (chip). The cells are transported through a micropillar array in the chip, and their characteristics are measured by a mechanical probe and a force sensor. Because the chip has an open microchannel, important cells such as oocytes are easily introduced and collected without the risk for losing them. In addition, any bubbles trapped in the chip, which degrade the measurement precision, are easily removed. To transport the oocytes through the open microchannel, we adopt a transportation technique based on a vibration-induced flow. Under this flow, oocytes arrive at the measurement point, where their mechanical characteristics are determined. We demonstrate the introduction, transportation, measurement of mechanical characteristics, and collection of oocytes using this system.
Highlights
To achieve a bubble-free system in which cells are introduced and collected, we employ an open microchannel for measuring the cell mechanical characteristics
This paper proposes a system for transporting oocytes through a chip with an open microchannel, and measuring their mechanical characteristics
For precise measurement of the mechanical characteristics of oocytes, we evaluated the positioning accuracy of the mechanical probe
Summary
The mechanical characteristics of cells have been extensively researched [1,2,3,4,5,6,7] because, like traditional biochemical characteristics [8,9,10,11,12,13], they are thought to reflect cell quality. This mechanism enables continuous and quantitative measurement of the mechanical characteristics of cells. To achieve a bubble-free system in which cells are introduced and collected, we employ an open microchannel for measuring the cell mechanical characteristics. By using vibration-induced flow as a cell transport mechanism through the chip, we can measure the cell mechanical characteristics without bubble formation or cell loss. To this end, we construct a transportation and measurement system for mouse oocytes, and demonstrate the introduction, transportation, measurement of mechanical characteristics and collection in this study. It is thought that there are some relationships between the mechanical characteristics of mouse oocyte and the qualities (e.g., fertility), and we choose mouse oocyte as a target
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