Micro-hydrogel molding-assisted fabrication of a PDMS-based microfluidic concentration-gradient generator for dynamic...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Traditional cell culture platforms use static drug doses and rigid environments, failing to replicate physiological conditions.
• This limits the accuracy of drug dose-response analysis and preclinical drug evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective, accessible microfluidic platform for dynamic drug testing.
• To create a system that mimics physiological conditions for improved drug evaluation accuracy.

Main Methods:

• A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic concentration gradient generator (μCGG) was fabricated using a micro-hydrogel molding technique.
• The μCGG features six integrated cell culture chambers with flexible PDMS bases (kPa range).
• A pressure-driven flow design generated stable drug concentration gradients, validated using simulations and spectroscopy with 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu).

Main Results:

• The μCGG platform successfully generated dynamic drug gradients for cell culture.
• MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells exposed to 5-Fu showed an IC50 of 41 ± 4 μM.
• Results closely matched conventional methods, validating the platform's accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The developed μCGG is a simple, frugal, and scalable microfluidic platform for drug testing.
• It addresses limitations of traditional methods by incorporating dynamic gradients and relevant mechanical environments.
• This platform offers broader adoption potential for preclinical drug evaluation and dose-response assays.