Introduction We are designing a cell culture chamber insert to allow side-by-side co-culture of cells and ultimately triculture in the µSiM devices. Materials and Methods ALine devices assembly according to the “ALine Modular Device Assembly” instructions. 2-slot NPN membranes applied (NPSN100-2L, nanoporous silicon nitride 100 nm thick, 2 windows). Straight tweezers and chip tweezers are…
Please see the attached .PDF file for a full monocyte isolation protocol. This is for isolating human monocytes from whole blood. Monocyte-Isolation-Protocol
Dan Steiner Rotation Summary Abstract The purpose of this rotation project was to develop and test a clampable system for eventual use in scalable nanomembrane dialysis systems. The nanomembrane dialysis system will be miniaturized into a compact, wearable hemodialysis device that will provide more effective human dialysis treatment (Johnson et al. 2013). For initial tests, a…
As we’re uncovering more bits and pieces of data, we kept being lead to the idea that our membranes may be made out of SiO2 and have a modulus in the gigapascal range, but cells seem to perceive them as soft substrates. After looking at focal adhesions, fibronectin deposition, and cell/cell junction formation, we’re still sticking…
I had previously manufactured some freestanding MgF2 nanomembranes (50 nm MgF2, starting from Wafer Template 1174) for my work here in Nottingham. I shipped about 75 chips at the beginning of July in my 3d printed holders, however, they arrived with a noticeable film discoloration (tending to blue/tan, rather than the nice purple color I had…
Our collaborator Fernando has made a really nifty way to make microfluidics work with lamination pouches. These flat pouches can be sealed together using a heat activated glue, which can be done consistently using a $40 laminator (http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/404227/Scotch-TL-901-Thermal-Laminator/) Advantages If we could get our chips inside a flat system, we could really use vertical stacking…
Summary: I have some ok images (20x) of cells growing on MgF2. My controls still look poor. Something about the stain is causing the TCP + NPN controls to detach ahead of the MgF2 material, even if they aren’t fully dead yet. I used acetone fixation, which worked well for the materials on the nanomembrane, but…
I have lost many chips during my MgF2 or Au or Pt process due to yield problems with my RIE. I have wondered if the problem was due to power spikes. I have observed that my most poorly yielding etch runs usually have uneven power or power spikes during the run. Increasing window size (active area)…
Summary and Instructional video The simplest way to get something wet is to allow water to condense on the surface of the something. In our case, we have a number of nanocavities (~ 0.1 femtoliters) with porous tents over them. The easiest thing to do is simply chill the substrates down to allow condensation to form….
PET is a very common material used in various cell culture applications. Unfortunately it’s chemical inertness makes it immune to plasma activation, and we can’t bond PDMS devices to PET. I am working with a PET films coated with Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) on one side of the film. The film, in terms of texture,…