Design and validation of a flowless gradient generating microfluidic device for high-throughput drug testing.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microfluidics
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Conventional drug testing methods are time-consuming and prone to errors.
• Existing microfluidic devices require specialized expertise, facilities, and bulky accessories.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a user-friendly, portable, and cost-effective microfluidic platform for stable drug testing.
• To overcome limitations of conventional drug efficacy evaluation and existing microfluidic systems.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of microfluidic structures using a novel technique based on Saffman-Taylor instability in lifted Hele-Shaw cells.
• Casting polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) devices using soft lithography with multi-channel molds.
• Validation of stable concentration gradient generation using COMSOL simulation and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC).

Main Results:

• Demonstrated stable, diffusion-based concentration gradients for at least 5 days.
• Validated in vitro drug efficacy of temozolomide and curcumin on glioblastoma cells, yielding IC50 values consistent with literature.
• Successfully performed post-drug testing molecular assays, including microtubule staining on cervical cancer cells.

Conclusions:

• Developed a portable, accessory-free microfluidic platform for static drug testing.
• The device significantly reduces time, manual errors, and costs associated with drug efficacy studies.
• This innovative platform offers a promising alternative for efficient and reliable drug screening.