A self-sufficient pressure pump using latex balloons for microfluidic applications

Thurgood, Peter; Zhu, Jiu Yang; Nguyen, Ngan; Nahavandi, Saeid; Jex, Aaron R.; Pirogova, Elena; Baratchi, Sara; Khoshmanesh, Khashayar

doi:10.1039/c8lc00471d

Cited by 35 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…The pressure of the balloons depended on the thickness of the balloon shell as well as the circumference of the inflated balloon, as detailed in our recent work 37 . We coupled a pair of double-layered latex balloons with a circumference of 77.5 and 73.5 cm ( P water ~ 4.75 kPa and P oil ~ 4.1 kPa) to the water and oil inlets.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 85%

Asynchronous generation of oil droplets using a microfluidic flow focusing system

Thurgood

Baratchi

Arash

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Here, we show that long-term exposure of PDMS based microfluidic droplet generation systems to water can reverse their characteristics such that they generate oil-in-water droplets instead of water-in-oil droplets. The competition between two oil columns entering via the two side channels leads to asynchronous generation of oil droplets. We identify various modes of droplet generation, and study the size, gap and generation rate of droplets under different combinations of oil and water pressures. Oil droplets can also be generated using syringe pumps, various oil viscosities, and different combinations of immiscible liquids. We also demonstrate the ability to dynamically change the gap between the oil droplets from a few hundred microns to just a few microns in successive cycles using a latex balloon pressure pump. This method requires no special equipment or chemical treatments, and importantly can be reversed by long-term exposure of the PDMS surfaces to the ambient air.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 85%

Asynchronous generation of oil droplets using a microfluidic flow focusing system

Thurgood

Baratchi

Arash

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

Self Cite

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“…Reinforcing the balloon with elastane fibers enables operation at pressures sufficient to achieve shear stresses required for investigating the mechanobiology of human aortic endothelial cells 29 . While the affordability, simplicity, and scalability of balloon pumps renders them widely applicable to microfluidic devices, pressure loss from the balloon can reduce the flow rate over time 28 . Consequently, more expensive approaches, such as an Arduino microcontroller, are needed to achieve the constant aspiration volumes required for the micropipetting steps in preparation of samples for qPCR.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, the syringe pump has become a popular DIY project for accurately dispensing fluid at a low cost 15 – 17 . One of the most inexpensive pump designs utilizes commercially available latex balloons to control the rate of fluid flow by varying the size and thickness of the balloon 28 . Reinforcing the balloon with elastane fibers enables operation at pressures sufficient to achieve shear stresses required for investigating the mechanobiology of human aortic endothelial cells 29 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Principles of computer-controlled linear motion applied to an open-source affordable liquid handler for automated micropipetting

Florian

Odziomek

Ock

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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OTTO is an open-source automated liquid handler that can be fabricated at a cost of $1,500 using off-the-shelf and 3D-printable parts as an alternative to commercial devices. Open-source approaches have been applied to build syringe pumps, centrifuges, and other laboratory equipment. These devices are affordable but generally rely on a single motor to perform simple operations and thus do not fully utilize the potential of the Maker Movement. Open-source linear actuators and microcontrollers enable the fabrication of more complex laboratory instruments that rely on 3D positioning and accurate dispensing of fluids, such as automated liquid handlers. These instruments can be built rapidly and affordably, thereby providing access to highly reproducible sample preparation for common biological assays such as qPCR. We applied the design principles of speed and accuracy, unattended automation, and open-source components to build an automated liquid handler that controls micropipetting of liquids in 3D space at speeds and positional resolutions required for qPCR. In benchmarking studies, OTTO showed accuracy and sample preparation times comparable to manual qPCR. The ability to control linear motion and liquid dispensing using affordable off-the-shelf and 3D-printable parts can facilitate the adoption of open-source automated liquid handlers for qPCR, bioplotting, and other bioinstrumentation applications. At the onset of a viral outbreak, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests are commonly employed to screen patients for disease 1. Compared to serology tests, which search for antibodies that are reactive to the virus, qPCR-based tests are more sensitive and can be implemented faster but have longer turnaround times 2-5. During the COVID-19 outbreak, health care officials promptly recruited technicians to run qPCR on samples from patients who experienced an exposure event to detect the presence of viral RNA 6. However, preparing samples for qPCR is prone to human error and time consuming 7-9 , resulting in decreased reproducibility and increased costs 10-12. These limitations have been mitigated in part by robotic liquid handlers that are more precise and faster than their human counterparts. However, commercial liquid handlers are expensive systems with recurring maintenance contracts that the majority of laboratories cannot afford 13. The rarity of these instruments may have contributed in part to hospitals being overwhelmed by the large number of patient samples during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Maker Movement is an educational initiative that focuses on the innovative application of open-source technologies to solve problems at multiple scales. This movement was enabled by the advent of additive manufacturing (i.e., 3D printing), a process for converting a digital model into a physical part that provides affordable access to digital fabrication. The Maker Community has a history of generating solutions for public health problems, such as the design of low-cost and readily manufacturable ventilators and ...

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“…This PDMS sponge was further used as a self-sufficient microdroplet generation system. [23] The sponge is loaded with aqueous solution and placed in a cell culture microwell filled with oil. Upon compression the sponge, microdroplets are generated into the microwell.…”

Section: Liquid Reagents Storagementioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Reagents Storage and Release in Self‐Contained Point‐of‐Care Devices

Deng

Jiang

2019

Adv Materials Technologies

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Microfluidics has emerged as a useful material for point‐of‐care testing. However, conventional microfluidic devices rely on multiple steps to complete the detection process, which may not be acceptable for untrained users. The emerging “self‐contained” point‐of‐care devices, with all necessary reagents prestored in, address this limitation. This paper summarizes the recent advances of self‐contained point‐of‐care devices, with emphasis on the approaches for reagents integration and manipulation. Due to the intrinsic similarity and relevance of these approaches in pharmaceutical applications, several examples about drug delivery in vivo are presented. Different approaches are compared and future trends for the development of self‐contained point‐of‐care devices are outlined.

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A self-sufficient pressure pump using latex balloons for microfluidic applications

Cited by 35 publications

References 68 publications

Asynchronous generation of oil droplets using a microfluidic flow focusing system

Asynchronous generation of oil droplets using a microfluidic flow focusing system

Principles of computer-controlled linear motion applied to an open-source affordable liquid handler for automated micropipetting

Advances in Reagents Storage and Release in Self‐Contained Point‐of‐Care Devices

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