An Open-Source, Programmable Pneumatic Setup for Operation and Automated Control of Single- and Multi-Layer...

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Biotechnology
• Automation

Background:

• Microfluidic technologies offer significant advantages in areas like biological measurement and fluid physics.
• Widespread adoption is hindered by a lack of accessible resources for non-specialist laboratories to build and operate microfluidic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present an open-source, cost-effective pneumatic setup for operating microfluidic devices.
• To provide a detailed guide for building the instrumentation and operating microfluidic devices using custom software.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a modular pneumatic setup with 48 valve control and 18 sample inputs.
• Development of 'Geppetto' software featuring a GUI for live valve actuation and a scripting system for experiment automation.
• Demonstration of robust valve actuation with real-time software feedback.

Main Results:

• The open-source pneumatic setup is capable of operating both single and multilayer microfluidic devices.
• The system supports programmable scripting automation for complex experiments.
• The setup was successfully used for high-throughput biochemical measurements on-chip.

Conclusions:

• The developed open-source pneumatic setup significantly lowers the barrier to entry for using microfluidic devices.
• This resource empowers both specialists and novices to implement microfluidic technology in their own labs.
• The modular design and software automation facilitate easier and more widespread use of microfluidics.