Large microfluidic bioreactor and manufacturing method thereof

A method of manufacturing a macro-sized microbioreactor (BM bioreactor) having an arrangement of microfluidic channels, the method comprising:

• forming a master mold (Fmold) having a design corresponding to the arrangement of microfluidic channels;
• forming a male mold (ERmold) from a photopolymer plate, using replica molding with the Fmold;
• transferring features of the ERmold to a polymer material to result in a channel-having polymer material having the arrangement of microfluidic channels;
• punching fluidic connections in the channel-having polymer material;
• irreversibly bonding the polymer material to a rigid substrate;
• connecting catheters and hoses, with respective syringes, at an inlet channel and an outlet channel of the channel-having polymer material;
• and
• rolling the rigid substrate, with the channel-having polymer material bonded thereto, into a cylinder to result in the BM bioreactor,
• the arrangement of microfluidic channels having an area of at least 1 square inch (in2),
• the polymer material comprising polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA),
• the forming of the Fmold comprising:
• transferring the design to a film;
• laminating the film onto an unexposed photopolymer plate;
• exposing a bottom side of the photopolymer plate to UVA radiation;
• exposing a top side of the photopolymer plate to UVA radiation, the top side being opposite from the bottom side;
• removing the film from the photopolymer plate;
• after removing the film, washing the photopolymer plate and drying the washed photopolymer plate;
• after washing and drying the photopolymer plate, exposing the top side of the photopolymer plate to UVA radiation and UVC radiation to result in the Fmold;
• heating the Fmold;
• treating the Fmold in a vacuum chamber;
• and
• cleaning the Fmold in a bath, drying the Fmold, and cleaning the Fmold in a gas stream,
• the film being a thermal imaging film,
• the transferring of the design to the film comprising imaging the thermal imaging film with an infrared laser,
• the forming of the ERmold comprising:
• mixing a resin and a curing agent to form a first mixture;
• ultrasonically treating the first mixture to remove air bubbles;
• disposing the first mixture onto the Fmold;
• curing the first mixture;
• and
• peeling the cured first mixture off the Fmold to form the ERmold,
• the mixing of the resin and the curing agent comprising mixing the resin and the curing agent at a weight ratio of 2:1 (resin:curing agent),
• the ultrasonically treating of the first mixture comprising ultrasonically treating of the first mixture in a bath-type sonicator, and
• the transferring of features of the ERmold to the polymer material comprising:
• mixing the polymer material with a curing agent to form a second mixture;
• placing the second mixture under vacuum to remove air bubbles;
• disposing the second mixture on the ERmold;
• curing the second mixture to form a cured polymer;
• and
• peeling the cured polymer from the ERmold.