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Droplets of microliter size serve as miniaturized reaction chambers for practical lab on a chip (LoC) applications. The transportation and coalescence of droplets are indispensable for realizing microfluidic mixing. Light can be used as an effective tool for droplet manipulation. We report a novel platform for LED-based transport and mixing of cell-encapsulated microdroplets for evaluating dose response of cancer drugs. Microcontroller enabled LEDs (Light-emitting diodes) were used to actuate droplet movement on Azobenzene coated planar silicon substrates. Droplet transport was initiated by the spatial gradient in solid-liquid interfacial tension developed through LED triggered photoisomerization of Azobenzene substrate. Detailed UV-Visible characterization of Azobenzene molecule was performed for different LED light intensity and wavelength. A complete standalone opto-wetting toolbox was developed by integrating various components such as a microcontroller, UV LED (385nm), blue LED (465nm), and Azobenzene coated photoresponsive substrate. 2D transport of DI water droplets (10 -30 μL) along simple trajectories was demonstrated using this device. Subsequently, the proposed opto-wetting platform was used for performing drug evaluation through on-chip mixing of droplets containing cancer cells (A549 – Lung cancer cells) and cancer drug (paclitaxel). Separate cell viability analysis was performed using MTT assays, where the cytotoxic effects of Azobenzene and UV light (385nm) on A549 cells were studied. Dosage response of paclitaxel drug was studied using both MTT (3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and live-dead cell assays. The results obtained indicate the potential use of our device as a cost-effective, reliable opto-wetting microfluidic platform for drug screening experiments.

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