Biocompatibility of fluids for multiphase drops-in-drops microfluidics

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Microfluidic systems offer precise control for cell-based assays.
• Traditional microfluidic fluids can induce variability in cell gene expression.
• Mammalian cell drug screening requires biocompatible microfluidic environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate fluid and surfactant biocompatibility in microfluidic drops-in-drops systems.
• To identify a microfluidic medium supporting stable gene expression for drug screening.
• To optimize fluidic combinations for medium to long-term cell-based drug assays.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a drops-in-drops microfluidic system with three immiscible fluids.
• Tested various fluid and surfactant combinations for cell compatibility.
• Assessed gene expression levels in Jurkat cells after drug exposure.
• Compared microfluidic screening results with conventional methods.

Main Results:

• A common fluid/surfactant combination caused significant gene expression variability.
• Identified HFE-7500 and 5-cSt silicone oil + 0.25% Abil EM180 as a suitable combination.
• This combination supported the drops-in-drops approach effectively.
• Achieved normal gene expression levels, comparable to conventional screening.

Conclusions:

• The HFE-7500 and silicone oil/Abil EM180 combination is biocompatible for microfluidic drug screening.
• This fluidic system minimizes gene expression variability in cell-based assays.
• Enables reliable medium to long-term drug screening in microfluidic platforms.