Microfluidic device for cell spheroid culture and analysis
AssigneeAcademia Sinica
InventorsYi-Chung TUNG, Chau-Hwan LEE, Bishnubrata PATRA
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Abstract
The invention relates to a microfluidic device for culturing spheroids of human or animal body cells. The device can generate ample numbers (e.g., 5000) of uniform-sized spheroids, and the spheroids can be harvested for conventional biochemistry analysis (e.g. flow cytometry). In addition, the device can be used for observing the cultured samples using selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM). In at least one embodiment, the microfluidic device incorporates a main body; a fluid channel extending inside the main body and having two inlets and an outlet open to the outside; and a plurality of chambers for culturing cell spheroids which are formed at the underneath of the fluid channel.
Claims16
A microfluidic device for culturing cell spheroids, comprising:
- a main body;
- a fluid channel extending inside the main body and having at least one inlet and an outlet open to the outside;
- and
- a plurality of chambers for culturing cell spheroids, which are formed underneath and open to the fluid channel.
A microfluidic device for culturing and observing cell spheroids, comprising:
- a transparent and cuboid main body,
- a fluid channel extending inside the main body and having at least one inlet and an outlet open to the outside, and
- a plurality of square chambers formed underneath and open to the fluid channel, wherein each of the chambers has a flat bottom, which is parallel to the bottom of the cuboid main body;
- each of the chambers further has four flat side walls, which are respectively parallel to the side walls of the main body, and wherein the chambers do not overlap one another when they are observed from a light sheet introduction side of the main body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.