Toward embedded laboratory automation for smart Lab-on-a-Chip embryo arrays

Area of Science:

• Biomicrofluidics
• Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) technology
• Zebrafish (Danio rerio) model organism

Background:

• Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) biomicrofluidic technologies offer miniaturized solutions for in situ research on vertebrate embryos.
• Current LOC devices often require manual operation, limiting throughput and introducing analytical bias.
• Automating these processes is crucial for advancing high-throughput biotesting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a proof-of-concept embedded platform for automated in situ biotests using LOC technology.
• To integrate an innovative LOC zebrafish embryo array with an electronic interface for enhanced laboratory automation.
• To enable automatic immobilization, culture, and treatment of zebrafish embryos for fish embryo toxicity (FET) biotests.

Main Methods:

• Development of an integrated platform combining LOC zebrafish embryo array with an electronic interface.
• Incorporation of a stepper motor driven stage, solenoid-actuated pinch valves, peristaltic pumps, and a Peltier heating module.
• Utilized a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) for embedded hardware/software solution enabling real-time control and automatic image acquisition.

Main Results:

• The integrated platform successfully demonstrated automatic immobilization, culture, and treatment of developing zebrafish embryos.
• Real-time control over embryo handling, microfluidic flow, temperature stabilization, and time-resolved image acquisition was achieved.
• The system showed potential for higher throughput and reduced operator-related bias in FET biotests.

Conclusions:

• Integration of embedded electronic interfaces with LOC technologies advances towards fully automated analytical systems.
• The developed platform provides a higher level of laboratory automation for in situ biotests.
• This approach streamlines zebrafish embryo toxicity testing, improving efficiency and reliability.