Abstract
Droplet microfluidics is a versatile tool that allows the execution of a large number of reactions in chemically distinct nanoliter compartments. Such systems have been used to encapsulate a variety of biochemical reactions - from incubation of single cells to implementation of PCR reactions, from genomics to chemical synthesis. Coupling the microfluidic channels with regulatory valves allows control over their opening and closing, thereby enabling the rapid production of large-scale combinatorial libraries consisting of a population of droplets with unique compositions. In this paper, protocols for the fabrication and operation of a pressure-driven, PDMS-based bilayer microfluidic device that can be utilized to generate combinatorial libraries of water-in-oil emulsions called plugs are presented. By incorporating software programs and microfluidic hardware, the flow of desired fluids in the device can be controlled and manipulated to generate combinatorial plug libraries and to control the composition and quantity of constituent plug populations. These protocols will expedite the process of generating combinatorial screens, particularly to study drug response in cells from cancer patient biopsies.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | e66154 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Journal | Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) |
Volume | 202 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2023 |
Funding
We would like to thank Stacey Martina of the NanoLab TuE for help with HMDS vapour deposition. This research was funded by the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS) at TU/ e and by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Gravitation programme IMAGINE! (project number 24.005.009).
Funders | Funder number |
---|---|
Institute for Complex Molecular Systems | |
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | 24.005.009 |
Keywords
- Humans
- Biopsy
- Feces
- Genomics
- Lab-On-A-Chip Devices
- Microfluidics