Team:Czech Republic/Microfluidics
Microfluidics
Introduction
Microfluidic technology is a valuable tool enabling complete control of the cellular microenvironment. Soft lithography description [ Fikar2015].
Soft-lithography
Soft lithography corresponds to a set of fabrication techniques that prove to be complementary to standard photolithography. An advantage of soft lithography is that it is compatible with a wide range of materials. In particular, elastomeric (i.e., mechanically soft) materials, such as PDMS, can be processed with soft lithography. Soft lithography processes enable the use of soft materials such as PDMS to create microfluidic chips.
Microfluidic channels were formed using PDMS soft-lithography technology, which has proven biocompatibility and can be readily applied in available laminar flow cabinets (photomask and silicon master fabrication is outsourced). Silicon masters were required for the PDMS molding. PDMS molds were bonded to the glass substrates to form encapsulated microfluidic devices using air plasma technology.
Appendix
Personnel
Martin Cienciala - Responsible person
Pavel Fikar - Scientific advisor
References
- ↑ Lin, C.-H., Choi, a., & Bennett, R. J. (2011). Defining pheromone-receptor signaling in Candida albicans and related asexual Candida species. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 22(24), 4918–4930. doi:10.1091/mbc.E11-09-0749