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Rapid microfluidics prototyping through variotherm desktop injection molding for multiplex diagnostics
Gianmarco D Suarez1, Steevanson Bayer1, Yuki Yu Kiu Tang2
1Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong. chnagl@ust.hk.
Lab on a Chip
|August 3, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed a cost-effective method for prototyping microfluidic devices using desktop injection molding with variotherm technology. This technique enables accurate replication of microfeatures for applications like genetic analysis on centrifugal microfluidic chips.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biotechnology
- Microfluidics Engineering
Background:
- Microfluidic devices offer miniaturized platforms for various applications, but prototyping can be expensive and time-consuming.
- Traditional injection molding requires specialized equipment, limiting accessibility for researchers.
- Developing cost-effective and rapid prototyping methods is crucial for advancing microfluidic technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate an inexpensive method for prototyping microfluidic devices using a desktop injection molding machine.
- To develop a centrifugal microfluidic device with a novel central filling mechanism to showcase the prototyping technique.
- To overcome limitations in replicating microfluidic features with desktop machines.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a desktop injection molding machine with variotherm heating and cooling (50 °C to 110 °C within two minutes).
- Developed a centrifugal microfluidic device with a novel central filling mechanism.
- Produced polystyrene centrifugal microfluidic chips for fluid aliquoting and integrated optical pH sensors for readouts.
- Performed allele-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (AS-LAMP) for CYP2C19 genotyping.
Main Results:
- Achieved good replication of microfeatures with a coefficient of variation of 3.6% for 100 μm wide channels.
- Produced functional microfluidic chips capable of aliquoting 5.0 μL volumes with 97.5% accuracy.
- Demonstrated successful genotyping of CYP2C19 alleles using AS-LAMP on the microfluidic chips.
- Obtained average time-to-results of 38 minutes for AS-LAMP reactions detected via pH sensor fluorescence changes.
Conclusions:
- Variotherm desktop injection molding provides a cost-effective and iterative approach for microfluidic device prototyping.
- This method enables researchers to create functional microfluidic chips in-house, reducing costs and accelerating development.
- The prototyped designs are suitable for direct translation to mass production, enhancing commercialization potential.
