A two-compartment microfluidic device for long-term live cell detection based on surface plasmon resonance.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Developing advanced microfluidic systems is crucial for precise cell culture and real-time biological analysis.
• Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) imaging offers label-free, real-time monitoring capabilities for biological processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a two-compartment microfluidic device integrated with SPR interferometric imaging for long-term, real-time cell detection.
• To assess the device's ability to maintain a stable physiological environment for cell culture.
• To monitor cell proliferation and drug-induced responses in real-time.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a two-compartment microfluidic device using Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) elastomer replica molding, optimized via COMSOL simulations.
• Integration of the microfluidic device with a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) interferometric imaging system.
• Long-term culture of HeLa cells (up to 48 hours) within the device, monitoring proliferation using SPR and time-lapse microscopy.
• Real-time assessment of cell behavior under varying doses of Paclitaxel and Cisplatin.

Main Results:

• The microfluidic device successfully maintained cell physiological environments for extended periods.
• SPR imaging data showed four distinct phases of cell proliferation, correlating well with microscopic time-lapse imaging.
• Dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation was observed in response to Paclitaxel and Cisplatin, with distinct drug action kinetics.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic-SPR system enables long-term, real-time cell culture and monitoring.
• The system accurately reflects cell proliferation dynamics and drug-induced effects.
• This technology holds promise for advanced cell-based assays and drug screening.