A 3D printing assisted microfluidic absorbance-based measurement system for biological assay

Abstract

Development of rapid analytical systems utilizing 3D printing is an emerging area of interest with the potential to provide efficient solutions by integrating multidisciplinary technology without compromising the quality of the system. In this study we report the fabrication of a 3D printed assisted microfluidic based absorbance measurement system, leveraging 3D printing along with integrating miniature optical components for the accurate measurement of biological assays. The developed system is rapid, affordable and compact, through set of computer-aided design (CAD) models and Fusion Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing along with relevant electronic circuitry involving optical components like Surface Mounting Devices (SMD). The handheld device features a capacitive touchscreen display, programmed to seamlessly perform MTT assay. The device was employed for assessing the cell viability using MCF-7 cell lines over varying concentrations of Tamoxifen, reciprocating the MTT assay analysis conducted by using spectrometer. The device achieved excellent results which upon comparison with the conventional spectrometer-based results have shown a correlation coefficient of 0.98. This compact and rapid absorbance measurement system holds significant potential for evaluating the cytotoxicity of drugs, and further development of innovative analytical devices.