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A microfluidic pipette for single-cell pharmacology.
Alar Ainla1, Erik T Jansson, Natalia Stepanyants
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivagen 10, SE-412 96 Goteborg, Sweden.
Analytical Chemistry
|May 7, 2010
Summary
This study introduces a novel microfluidic pipette for precise cell culture experiments. The device enables contamination-free delivery of multiple compounds for advanced pharmacological screening of intact cells.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Microfluidics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Accurate compound delivery is crucial for cell-based assays.
- Existing methods can face challenges with contamination and precision.
- Microfluidic systems offer potential for improved cell manipulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel free-standing microfluidic pipette.
- To enable precise, contamination-free delivery of multiple compounds to cells.
- To facilitate complex fluid processing for cell culture applications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic pipette with a circulating liquid tip.
- Utilizing pressure, channel number, and geometry to control fluid dynamics.
- Performing uptake assays and patch-clamp measurements on adherent cells.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated generation of dose-response curves in situ using Chinese hamster ovary cells.
- Successfully activated proton-activated human transient receptor potential vanilloid (hTRPV1) receptors in single cells.
- Induced membrane bleb formation in selected cell groups.
Conclusions:
- The microfluidic pipette allows for flexible and scalable fluid processing.
- Enables complex, contamination-free multiple-compound delivery for pharmacological screening.
- Provides a powerful tool for studying intact adherent cells in research and drug discovery.
