Rapid Fabrication by Digital Light Processing 3D Printing of a SlipChip with Movable Ports for Local Delivery to Ex Vivo Organ Cultures

SlipChips are two-part microfluidic devices that can be reconfigured to change fluidic pathways for a wide range of functions, including tissue stimulation. Currently, fabrication of these devices at the prototype stage requires a skilled microfluidic technician, e.g., for wet etching or alignment s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Micromachines (Basel) 2021-08, Vol.12 (8), p.993
Main Authors: Catterton, Megan A, Ball, Alexander G, Pompano, Rebecca R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
3-D printers
Aqueous solutions
Biocompatibility
Case studies
Contact angle
Curing
Design
Design optimization
Devices
Flat surfaces
Hydrogels
Laboratory animals
Laser etching
Light
local stimulation
Microfluidic devices
Multilayers
Prototypes
resin printing
Resins
SLA printing
Spatial resolution
Three dimensional printing
tissue culture
Tissues
two-phase microfluidics
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Summary:SlipChips are two-part microfluidic devices that can be reconfigured to change fluidic pathways for a wide range of functions, including tissue stimulation. Currently, fabrication of these devices at the prototype stage requires a skilled microfluidic technician, e.g., for wet etching or alignment steps. In most cases, SlipChip functionality requires an optically clear, smooth, and flat surface that is fluorophilic and hydrophobic. Here, we tested digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing, which is rapid, reproducible, and easily shared, as a solution for fabrication of SlipChips at the prototype stage. As a case study, we sought to fabricate a SlipChip intended for local delivery to live tissue slices through a movable microfluidic port. The device was comprised of two multi-layer components: an enclosed channel with a delivery port and a culture chamber for tissue slices with a permeable support. Once the design was optimized, we demonstrated its function by locally delivering a chemical probe to slices of hydrogel and to living tissue with up to 120 µm spatial resolution. By establishing the design principles for 3D printing of SlipChip devices, this work will enhance the ability to rapidly prototype such devices at mid-scale levels of production.
ISSN:2072-666X
2072-666X
DOI:10.3390/mi12080993