Microfluidic Chamber Array for High-Throughput Chemical Screening

Microorganisms are used in biological research and drug discovery because of their low complexity, ease of maintenance, and the conservation of fundamental cellular processes between microorganisms and mammals. However, their relatively small size makes it difficult for researchers to physically manipulate these microorganisms. This difficulty limits the experimental throughput and, in some cases, precludes experiments altogether. To address this limitation, we have created a multilayer microfluidic device containing a circular chamber array and a chemical-mixing channel network to perform chemical screenings. In the flow layer, microorganisms are loaded sequentially into rows of circular chambers. Loading regulators in the control layer ensure that a controlled number of organisms is loaded into each chamber. During loading, another set of valves block off portions of the chamber to create a flow channel in the middle to facilitate the loading process. After loading these valves are opened to drastically increase the area of the chamber. Once the chambers are occupied, a chemical gradient is supplied with the use of staged mixing and microorganisms' physiological outputs are analyzed. This microdevice increases the throughput of chemical screenings by allowing a range of chemical concentrations to be tested simultaneously.