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PDMS Organ-On-Chip Design and Fabrication: Strategies for Improving Fluidic Integration and Chip Robustness of Rapidly Prototyped Microfluidic In Vitro Models Cameron, Tiffany C.; Randhawa, Avineet; Grist, Samantha M.; Bennet, Tanya; Hua, Jessica; Alde, Luis G.; Caffrey, Tara M.; Wellington, Cheryl L.; Cheung, Karen C.

Abstract

The PDMS-based microfluidic organ-on-chip platform represents an exciting paradigm that has enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity and adoption. A particularly promising element of this platform is its amenability to rapid manufacturing strategies, which can enable quick adaptations through iterative prototyping. These strategies, however, come with challenges; fluid flow, for example, a core principle of organs-on-chip and the physiology they aim to model, necessitates robust, leak-free channels for potentially long (multi-week) culture durations. In this report, we describe microfluidic chip fabrication methods and strategies that are aimed at overcoming these difficulties; we employ a subset of these strategies to a blood–brain-barrier-on-chip, with others applied to a small-airway-on-chip. Design approaches are detailed with considerations presented for readers. Results pertaining to fabrication parameters we aimed to improve (e.g., the thickness uniformity of molded PDMS), as well as illustrative results pertaining to the establishment of cell cultures using these methods will also be presented.

Item Metadata

Title
PDMS Organ-On-Chip Design and Fabrication: Strategies for Improving Fluidic Integration and Chip Robustness of Rapidly Prototyped Microfluidic In Vitro Models
Creator
Cameron, Tiffany C.; Randhawa, Avineet; Grist, Samantha M.; Bennet, Tanya; Hua, Jessica; Alde, Luis G.; Caffrey, Tara M.; Wellington, Cheryl L.; Cheung, Karen C.
Contributor
University of British Columbia. Centre for Blood Research; Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued
2022-09-22
Description
The PDMS-based microfluidic organ-on-chip platform represents an exciting paradigm that has enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity and adoption. A particularly promising element of this platform is its amenability to rapid manufacturing strategies, which can enable quick adaptations through iterative prototyping. These strategies, however, come with challenges; fluid flow, for example, a core principle of organs-on-chip and the physiology they aim to model, necessitates robust, leak-free channels for potentially long (multi-week) culture durations. In this report, we describe microfluidic chip fabrication methods and strategies that are aimed at overcoming these difficulties; we employ a subset of these strategies to a blood–brain-barrier-on-chip, with others applied to a small-airway-on-chip. Design approaches are detailed with considerations presented for readers. Results pertaining to fabrication parameters we aimed to improve (e.g., the thickness uniformity of molded PDMS), as well as illustrative results pertaining to the establishment of cell cultures using these methods will also be presented.
Subject
microfluidic; organ-on-chip; rapid prototyping; cell culture
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2024-12-18
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
CC BY 4.0
DOI
10.14288/1.0447532
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89906
Affiliation
Applied Science, Faculty of; Medicine, Faculty of; Science, Faculty of; Biomedical Engineering, School of; Chemistry, Department of; Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of
Citation
Micromachines 13 (10): 1573 (2022)
Publisher DOI
10.3390/mi13101573
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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CC BY 4.0