Abstract
SlipChips are two-part microfluidic devices that can be reconfigured to change fluidic pathways for a wide range of functions, including tissue stimulation. Currently, fabrication of these devices at the prototype stage requires a skilled microfluidic technician, e.g., for wet etching or alignment steps. In most cases, SlipChip functionality requires an optically clear, smooth, and flat surface that is fluorophilic and hydrophobic. Here, we tested digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing, which is rapid, reproducible, and easily shared, as a solution for fabrication of SlipChips at the prototype stage. As a case study, we sought to fabricate a SlipChip intended for local delivery to live tissue slices through a movable microfluidic port. The device was comprised of two multi-layer components: an enclosed channel with a delivery port and a culture chamber for tissue slices with a permeable support. Once the design was optimized, we demonstrated its function by locally delivering a chemical probe to slices of hydrogel and to living tissue with up to 120 µm spatial resolution. By establishing the design principles for 3D printing of SlipChip devices, this work will enhance the ability to rapidly prototype such devices at mid-scale levels of production.
Highlights
The ability to produce microchips and with minimal manual assembly, while retaining rapid prototyping capabilities, is highly desirable for pushing microfluidic devices past the first hand-built prototype stage [1,2,3]
As a case study for fabrication of a SlipChip by 3D resin printing, we considered a microfluidic movable port device (MP device) previously developed by our lab for local stimulation of ex vivo organ slices at user-selected locations [9]
To test that the aqueous solution did Having fabricated both components, we assembled the 3D printed SlipChip (Figure not leak into the oil gap during use, the delivery port was aligned with a port in the array, 5a,b) and tested its ability to perform local deliveries with leakage of aqueous solution and short pulse fluorescent solution delivered to an slice through into a the oil-filled gap,ofa critical design dextran goal
Summary
The ability to produce microchips and with minimal manual assembly, while retaining rapid prototyping capabilities, is highly desirable for pushing microfluidic devices past the first hand-built prototype stage [1,2,3]. Boxes assembled show areas with highlighted in panel (c) The two major challenges for device, loaded with a tissue slice, before (left) and during (right) alignment and fluid delivery leaks developing a movable port SlipChip were to ensure that (i) the surfaces were both smooth and flat, preventing by minimizing of the gapshow between components, andin(ii) the material wastwo sufficiently biocompatible. (c) The major challenges for developing a movable port SlipChip were to ensure that (i) the surfaces were both smooth and flat, we established anofapproach to fabricate a 3D printed for the first tim preventing leaksHere, by minimizing the size the gap between components, and SlipChip (ii) the material using the MP device as a case study.
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