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Impedance feedback control of microfluidic valves for reliable post processing combinatorial droplet injection
Brant Axt1, Yi-Fan Hsieh2, Divya Nalayanda1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Clark Hall 118B, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
Biomedical Microdevices
|July 7, 2017
Summary
This study introduces a microfluidic valve system for precise droplet merging in complex biological assays. The feedback-controlled device ensures 100% reliable, on-demand combinatorial droplet injection for advanced lab-on-chip applications.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Microfluidics
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Droplet microfluidics enables high-throughput biological assays.
- Controlling and merging droplets on-demand remains a key challenge.
- Existing methods lack robustness for complex, multistep assays.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a microfluidic valve-based system for combinatorial droplet injection.
- To enable on-demand additive mixing for complex multistep and multiplex assays.
- To improve the reliability and programmability of droplet manipulation in lab-on-chip devices.
Main Methods:
- Utilized microfluidic valves for robust control of fluid flow, droplet generation, and mixing.
- Integrated on-chip impedance measurements for real-time feedback control.
- Demonstrated combinatorial droplet injection at any stage of a multistep assay.
Main Results:
- Achieved 100% reliable droplet merging over extended operation periods.
- Successfully implemented content detection and discretionary droplet injections.
- Showcased the system's superiority over non-feedback-controlled methods.
Conclusions:
- The developed microfluidic valve system offers robust, on-demand control for complex droplet-based assays.
- Real-time feedback integration significantly enhances reliability and accuracy.
- This technology advances the development of sophisticated lab-on-chip devices for multiplexed biological analyses.
