A Microfluidic Platform for Sequential Assembly and Separation of Synthetic Cell Models

Area of Science:

• Biomimetic systems
• Synthetic biology
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are valuable models for cellular processes.
• Vesicle preparation often leaves contaminants, limiting applications like synthetic cells.
• Continuous purification methods are needed for advanced GUV applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a microfluidic platform for continuous GUV purification.
• To integrate GUV synthesis and purification into a single microfluidic unit.
• To demonstrate the platform's utility in synthetic biology.

Main Methods:

• A microfluidic device utilizing stream bifurcation for vesicle separation.
• Octanol-assisted liposome assembly (OLA) for GUV formation.
• Integration of OLA with the purification module for a combined system.

Main Results:

• High-efficiency purification (e = 0.99) of GUVs from diverse residues based on size and deformability.
• Successful integration of GUV production and purification in a single microfluidic unit.
• Demonstrated sequential fusion of small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) with GUVs and subsequent purification.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic platform offers efficient GUV purification.
• The integrated system streamlines GUV production and purification for synthetic biology.
• This technology advances the development of functional synthetic cells.