Magnetic Stirring Device for Limiting the Sedimentation of Cells inside Microfluidic Devices

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Cell sedimentation in storage containers is a significant challenge in microfluidic experiments, impacting reproducibility.
• Accurate cell handling is crucial for microfluidic applications, particularly in single-cell analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a simple, low-cost cell mixing device (CMD) to prevent cell sedimentation in syringes.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the CMD in improving cell injection rates and viability in microfluidic systems.

Main Methods:

• A 3D-printed slider-crank mechanism combined with a permanent magnet actuates a stir bar within a syringe.
• Cell viability was assessed using A549 cell lines under various mixing frequencies and durations.
• Microfluidic experiments were conducted to quantify cell injection rates with and without the CMD.

Main Results:

• The CMD demonstrated high cell viability (over 95%) across different mixing conditions.
• Cell injection into microfluidic chips increased 2.5-fold with the CMD compared to static conditions.
• The device effectively prevents cell sedimentation, ensuring more accurate cell handling.

Conclusions:

• The developed cell mixing device is an effective solution for preventing cell sedimentation in microfluidic applications.
• The CMD enhances cell injection efficiency and reproducibility in microfluidic experiments.
• This device is beneficial for microfluidic studies requiring precise single-cell handling and analysis.