A Multilayer Polymer-Film Inertial Microfluidic Device for High-Throughput Cell Concentration

Area of Science:

• Microfluidics
• Biotechnology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Traditional methods for concentrating bioparticles are often time-consuming and require bulky equipment.
• The need for miniaturized, high-throughput solutions in biological sample processing is growing.
• Integrating multiple microfluidic functions into a single device remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel multilayer polymer-film inertial microfluidic (MPIM) device.
• To achieve massive parallelization of multiplexing functional channels for complex 3D fluidic paths.
• To demonstrate the device's capability for high-throughput concentration of microalgae and tumor cells.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of the MPIM device by stacking polymer-film channel and adhesive layers.
• Design and fabrication of a prototype with multiplexing radially arrayed serpentine channels across seven functional layers.
• Exploration of the device's physics and concentration performance.

Main Results:

• The 1.4 mm thick MPIM device integrates inertial cell concentration, fluid convergence, and flow resistance adjustment.
• The device demonstrates efficient particle concentration at a high throughput of up to 8 mL/min.
• Successful application in high-throughput concentration of microalgae and trace tumor cells from large volumes.

Conclusions:

• The developed MPIM device offers a novel, low-cost, and efficient solution for bioparticle concentration.
• The device's compact design and integrated functionalities pave the way for 'on-chip centrifuge' applications.
• This technology holds significant potential for various applications in biological sample preparation and analysis.