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Rapid parallel generation of a fluorescently barcoded drop library from a microtiter plate using the
Geoffrey K Zath1,2, Ralph A Sperling3,4, Carter W Hoffman1,2,5
1Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA. conniebchang@gmail.com.
Lab on a Chip
|November 11, 2022
Summary
The plate-interfacing parallel encapsulation (PIPE) chip enables high-throughput screening by generating 96 barcoded microfluidic drops in parallel. This microfluidic device integrates with microtiter plates, reducing sample preparation time for complex assays.
Area of Science:
- Microfluidics
- Biotechnology
- Assay Development
Background:
- High-throughput screening requires parallelization of microfluidic drop generation for efficiency.
- Existing methods face limitations in scaling and sample preparation time for multiplexed assays.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a microfluidic chip for parallel generation of barcoded drops from a standard microtiter plate.
- To enable high-throughput screening of multiple experimental conditions simultaneously.
Main Methods:
- The plate-interfacing parallel encapsulation (PIPE) chip was designed to generate 50-90 μm drops in parallel.
- Two types of optically barcoded drop libraries (microbead and quantum dot) were created.
- Fluorescence detection, DBSCAN clustering, and fluorescence-activated drop sorting were employed for analysis and isolation.
Main Results:
- The PIPE chip successfully generated up to 96 barcoded drop conditions in parallel.
- Particle size was identified as the source of dominant noise (Poisson loading for microbeads, shot noise for quantum dots).
- Fluorescence-activated drop sorting enabled isolation of specific barcoded populations.
Conclusions:
- The PIPE chip enhances multiplexed high-throughput assays by enabling parallel encapsulation from microtiter plates.
- This approach significantly reduces sample preparation time and improves assay efficiency.
