Continuous scaling 3d micro flow printing for improved spot morphology in protein microarrays - biomed 2013

The protein microarray platform while innovative still poses a number of challenges which can only be met through creative and sophisticated system design. Pin printing while allowing for flexibility as to the type of medium printed does not offer the kind of spot reproducibility that a very sensitive application may require. The Continuous Flow Microspotter (CFM) was designed to not only allow for flexibility and reproducibility but to also achieve solution stability through flow scaling. This study uses the emerging CFM for printing protein and antibodies three dimensionally for general protein microarray applications. Consistent spot morphology, a continual and persistent problem in traditional pin printed microarrays, was compared under variable printed flow rates. The final assessment was performed using a rudimentary shear model. Force effects discussion and statistical data was used to demonstrate the versatility of the system.