Microfluidic System for Automated Cell-Based Assays

• Published in: Journal of Laboratory Automation Vol. 12; no. 6; pp. 363 - 367
• Main Authors: Lee, Philip J., Ghorashian, Navid, Gaige, Terry A., Hung, Paul J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-12-2007
• Subjects: perfusion; cell-based screening; microfluidic; toxicity assay; cell culture
• ISSN: 2211-0682; 1535-5535; 1540-2452
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jala.2007.07.001

Microfluidic cell culture is a promising technology for applications in the drug screening industry. Key benefits include improved biological function, higher-quality cell-based data, reduced reagent consumption, and lower cost. In this work, we demonstrate how a microfluidic cell culture design was adapted to be compatible with the standard 96-well plate format. Key design features include the elimination of tubing and connectors, the ability to maintain long-term continuous perfusion cell culture using a passive gravity-driven pump, and direct analysis on the outlet wells of the microfluidic plate. A single microfluidic culture plate contained eight independent flow units, each with 104 cells at a flow rate of 50 μL/day (6 min residence time). The cytotoxicity of the anticancer drug etoposide was measured on HeLa cells cultured in this format, using a commercial lactate dehydrogenase plate reader assay. The integration of microfluidic cell culture methods with commercial automation capabilities offers an exciting opportunity for improved cell-based screening.