Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 24, 2026
06:03
Development of a Microfluidics-Based Approach for Investigating Microtubule Polymer Mechanics
Published on: May 30, 2025
871
Flow characterization and patch clamp dose responses using jet microfluidics in a tubeless microfluidic device.
Pedro J Resto1, Abhishek Bhat2, Eric Stava2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Puerto Rico, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Mayagüez, P.R. 00680, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Journal of Neuroscience Methods
|August 27, 2017
Summary
Surface tension passive pumping enables tubeless microfluidic devices for patch-clamp electrophysiology. While useful for dose-response studies, fluid exchange is too slow for ion channel kinetics.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Microfluidics
- Electrophysiology
Background:
- Surface tension passive pumping offers a pump- and valve-free method for actuating fluid flow using droplet pressure in microfluidic channels.
- Tubeless devices, traditionally used in cell biology, are explored here as a novel fluid exchange platform for patch-clamp electrophysiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of tubeless devices utilizing surface tension passive pumping for fluid exchange in patch-clamp electrophysiology.
- To assess the performance of this novel platform for dose-response analysis and ion channel kinetics studies.
Main Methods:
- High-speed droplet and jet inertia were employed for on-the-fly solution mixing and subsequent flow over GABA-transfected HEK cells.
- Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) imaging and electrical recordings were utilized to characterize fluid exchange dynamics.
- COMSOL simulations were performed to model fluid flow and exchange within the microfluidic device.
Main Results:
- Fluid exchange times (0-90%) were measured in the hundreds of milliseconds, as confirmed by TIRF imaging and electrical recordings.
- Patch-clamping experiments demonstrated the system's capability for studying peak dose responses.
- The system's fluid exchange speed was found to be slower and less stable compared to standard 12-barrel application systems.
Conclusions:
- Surface tension passive pumping and tubeless devices present a limited but functional platform for specific electrophysiology applications, such as peak dose response analysis.
- The current system's fluid exchange rate is insufficient for studying the kinetics of most ion channels, highlighting areas for future development.
