Compartments for Synthetic Cells: Osmotically Assisted Separation of Oil from Double Emulsions in a Microfluidic Chip

Liposomes are used in synthetic biology as cell‐like compartments and their microfluidic production through double emulsions allows for efficient encapsulation of various components. However, residual oil in the membrane remains a critical bottleneck for creating pristine phospholipid bilayers. It h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology 2019-10, Vol.20 (20), p.2604-2608
Main Authors: Krafft, Dorothee, López Castellanos, Sebastián, Lira, Rafael B., Dimova, Rumiana, Ivanov, Ivan, Sundmacher, Kai
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Artificial Cells - cytology
Artificial Cells - ultrastructure
Communication
Communications
Compartments
Continuous production
Double emulsions
Emulsions
Lipid Bilayers - chemistry
Liposomes
Liposomes - chemistry
Microfluidics
Phospholipids
Phospholipids - chemistry
Separation
Synthetic Biology
vesicles
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Summary:Liposomes are used in synthetic biology as cell‐like compartments and their microfluidic production through double emulsions allows for efficient encapsulation of various components. However, residual oil in the membrane remains a critical bottleneck for creating pristine phospholipid bilayers. It has been discovered that osmotically driven shrinking leads to detachment of the oil drop. Separation inside a microfluidic chip has been realized to automate the procedure, which allows for controlled continuous production of monodisperse liposomes. Shrinking away turns useful: Polydimethylsiloxane‐based droplet microfluidics are used for the high‐throughput formation of double emulsions. Afterwards, the oleic acid phase can be removed through control of osmotic gradients. The method provides a technological platform for the production of monodisperse vesicles for bottom‐up synthetic biology applications.
ISSN:1439-4227
1439-7633
1439-7633
DOI:10.1002/cbic.201900152