Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2024-08-08DOI: 10.1039/D4LC00285G
Hui Ling Ong, Bruna Martins Dell' Agnese, Yunhong Jiang, Yihao Guo, Jian Zhou, Jikai Zhang, Jingting Luo, Ran Tao, Meng Zhang, Lynn G. Dover, Darren Smith, Kunyapat Thummavichai, Yogendra Kumar Mishra, Qiang Wu and Yong-Qing Fu
{"title":"Controlling bacterial growth and inactivation using thin film-based surface acoustic waves†","authors":"Hui Ling Ong, Bruna Martins Dell' Agnese, Yunhong Jiang, Yihao Guo, Jian Zhou, Jikai Zhang, Jingting Luo, Ran Tao, Meng Zhang, Lynn G. Dover, Darren Smith, Kunyapat Thummavichai, Yogendra Kumar Mishra, Qiang Wu and Yong-Qing Fu","doi":"10.1039/D4LC00285G","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4LC00285G","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Formation of bacterial films on structural surfaces often leads to severe contamination of medical devices, hospital equipment, implant materials, <em>etc.</em>, and antimicrobial resistance of microorganisms has indeed become a global health issue. Therefore, effective therapies for controlling infectious and pathogenic bacteria are urgently needed. Being a promising active method for this purpose, surface acoustic waves (SAWs) have merits such as nanoscale earthquake-like vibration/agitation/radiation, acoustic streaming induced circulations, and localised acoustic heating effect in liquids. However, only a few studies have explored controlling bacterial growth and inactivation behaviour using SAWs. In this study, we proposed utilising piezoelectric thin film-based SAW devices on a silicon substrate for controlling bacterial growth and inactivation with and without using ZnO micro/nanostructures. Effects of SAW powers on bacterial growth for two types of bacteria, <em>i.e.</em>, <em>E. coli</em> and <em>S. aureus</em>, were evaluated. Varied concentrations of ZnO tetrapods were also added into the bacterial culture to study their effects and the combined antimicrobial effects along with SAW agitation. Our results showed that when the SAW power was below a threshold (<em>e.g.</em>, about 2.55 W in this study), the bacterial growth was apparently enhanced, whereas the further increase of SAW power to a high power caused inactivation of bacteria. Combination of thin film SAWs with ZnO tetrapods led to significantly decreased growth or inactivation for both <em>E. coli</em> and <em>S. aureus</em>, revealing their effectiveness for antimicrobial treatment. Mechanisms and effects of SAW interactions with bacterial solutions and ZnO tetrapods have been systematically discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" 18","pages":" 4344-4356"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2024/lc/d4lc00285g?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141904454","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2024-08-08DOI: 10.1039/D4LC00269E
Luca Rima, Christian Berchtold, Stefan Arnold, Andri Fränkl, Rosmarie Sütterlin, Gregor Dernick, Götz Schlotterbeck and Thomas Braun
{"title":"Single and few cell analysis for correlative light microscopy, metabolomics, and targeted proteomics†","authors":"Luca Rima, Christian Berchtold, Stefan Arnold, Andri Fränkl, Rosmarie Sütterlin, Gregor Dernick, Götz Schlotterbeck and Thomas Braun","doi":"10.1039/D4LC00269E","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4LC00269E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The interactions of proteins, membranes, nucleic acid, and metabolites shape a cell's phenotype. These interactions are stochastic, and each cell develops differently, making it difficult to synchronize cell populations. Consequently, studying biological processes at the single- or few-cell level is often necessary to avoid signal dilution below the detection limit or averaging over many cells. We have developed a method to study metabolites and proteins from a small number of or even a single adherent eukaryotic cell. Initially, cells are lysed by short electroporation and aspirated with a microcapillary under a fluorescent microscope. The lysate is placed on a carrier slide for further analysis using liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and/or reverse-phase protein (RPPA) approach. This method allows for a correlative measurement of (i) cellular structures and metabolites and (ii) cellular structures and proteins on the single-cell level. The correlative measurement of cellular structure by light-microscopy, metabolites by LC-MS, and targeted protein detection by RPPA was possible on the few-cell level. We discuss the method, potential applications, limitations, and future improvements.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" 18","pages":" 4321-4332"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2024/lc/d4lc00269e?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141904270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2024-08-07DOI: 10.1039/D4LC00143E
Basia Gabela-Zuniga, Vasudha C. Shukla, Christopher Bobba, Natalia Higuita-Castro, Heather M. Powell, Joshua A. Englert and Samir N. Ghadiali
{"title":"A micro-scale humanized ventilator-on-a-chip to examine the injurious effects of mechanical ventilation†","authors":"Basia Gabela-Zuniga, Vasudha C. Shukla, Christopher Bobba, Natalia Higuita-Castro, Heather M. Powell, Joshua A. Englert and Samir N. Ghadiali","doi":"10.1039/D4LC00143E","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4LC00143E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Patients with compromised respiratory function frequently require mechanical ventilation to survive. Unfortunately, non-uniform ventilation of injured lungs generates complex mechanical forces that lead to ventilator induced lung injury (VILI). Although investigators have developed lung-on-a-chip systems to simulate normal respiration, modeling the complex mechanics of VILI as well as the subsequent recovery phase is a challenge. Here we present a novel humanized <em>in vitro</em> ventilator-on-a-chip (VOC) model of the lung microenvironment that simulates the different types of injurious forces generated in the lung during mechanical ventilation. We used transepithelial/endothelial electrical impedance measurements to investigate how individual and simultaneous application of mechanical forces alters real-time changes in barrier integrity during and after injury. We find that compressive stress (<em>i.e.</em> barotrauma) does not significantly alter barrier integrity while over-distention (20% cyclic radial strain, volutrauma) results in decreased barrier integrity that quickly recovers upon removal of mechanical stress. Conversely, surface tension forces generated during airway reopening (atelectrauma), result in a rapid loss of barrier integrity with a delayed recovery relative to volutrauma. Simultaneous application of cyclic stretching (volutrauma) and airway reopening (atelectrauma), indicates that the surface tension forces associated with reopening fluid-occluded lung regions are the primary driver of barrier disruption. Thus, our novel VOC system can monitor the effects of different types of injurious forces on barrier disruption and recovery in real-time and can be used to interogate the biomechanical mechanisms of VILI.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" 18","pages":" 4390-4402"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2024/lc/d4lc00143e?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141899835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2024-08-07DOI: 10.1039/D4LC00516C
Jeongrak Lee, Seonghyeon Kim, Hanseong Jo and Anna Lee
{"title":"Lab-on-PCB solid propellant microthruster with multi-mode thrust capabilities","authors":"Jeongrak Lee, Seonghyeon Kim, Hanseong Jo and Anna Lee","doi":"10.1039/D4LC00516C","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4LC00516C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >In the realm of nano/microsatellite clustering, the demand for microthrusters is steadily growing. Solid propellant microthrusters, recognized for their lightweight build and structural simplicity, carry significant commercial promise. However, existing solid propellant microthrusters manufactured using MEMS technology encounter notable issues such as inconsistent thrust generation positions, limited thrust profiles, and issues related to productivity, scalability, and durability. In this study, we propose a novel shared-chamber solid-propellant microthruster design that consistently produces thrust at a designated position and accommodates multiple thrust modes. The components and fabrication of this thruster were developed using lab-on-printed-circuit-board (PCB) technology and PCB surface mount technology, showcasing enhanced structural stability, scalability, and potential for mass production. Our ignition and combustion experiments confirmed the repeatability of the unit operation, a fundamental feature of this innovative microthruster. Furthermore, we successfully implemented and evaluated the power mode for increased thrust and the continuous mode for prolonged operational duration. Integrating the lab-on-PCB-based shared-chamber solid propellant microthruster with propulsion and electronic control systems holds promising potential for future satellite missions.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" 19","pages":" 4558-4570"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141896135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Humidity-enhanced microfluidic plasma separation on Chinese Xuan-papers†","authors":"Xianchang Wu, Shuqiang Min, Tonghuan Zhan, Yange Huang, Hui Niu and Bing Xu","doi":"10.1039/D4LC00393D","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4LC00393D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The first step in blood testing necessitates blood separation to obtain an adequate volume of plasma. Traditional centrifugation is bulky, expensive and electricity-powered, which is not suitable for micro-scale blood plasma separation in point-of-care testing (POCT) cases. Microfluidic paper-based plasma separation devices present a promising alternative for plasma separation in such occasions. However, they are limited in terms of plasma yield, which hinders analyte detection. Herein, we proposed a humidity-enhanced paper-based microfluidic plasma separation method to address this issue. Specifically, paper was first treated by blood-typing antibodies, then samples of whole blood were introduced into the prepared paper. After waiting for 5 min for RBC agglutination and plasma wicking under high humidity, micro-scale plasma separation from whole blood was achieved. As a result, an extremely high plasma yield of up to 60.1% could be separated from whole blood through using Xuan-paper. Meanwhile, the purity of plasma could reach 99.99%. Finally, this innovative approach was effortlessly integrated into distance-based glucose concentration detection, enabling rapid determination of blood glucose levels through naked-eye observation. Considering the simplicity and inexpensiveness of this method, we believe that this technology could be integrated to more paper-based microfluidic analytical devices for rapid and accurate detection of plasma analytes in POCT.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" 18","pages":" 4379-4389"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141895482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2024-08-06DOI: 10.1039/D4LC00333K
Terry D. Juang, Jeremiah Riendeau, Peter G. Geiger, Rupsa Datta, Marcos Lares, Ravi Chandra Yada, Anne Marie Singh, Christine M. Seroogy, James E. Gern, Melissa C. Skala, David J. Beebe and Sheena C. Kerr
{"title":"Micro blood analysis technology (μBAT): multiplexed analysis of neutrophil phenotype and function from microliter whole blood samples†","authors":"Terry D. Juang, Jeremiah Riendeau, Peter G. Geiger, Rupsa Datta, Marcos Lares, Ravi Chandra Yada, Anne Marie Singh, Christine M. Seroogy, James E. Gern, Melissa C. Skala, David J. Beebe and Sheena C. Kerr","doi":"10.1039/D4LC00333K","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4LC00333K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >There is an ongoing need to do more with less and provide highly multiplexed analysis from limited sample volumes. Improved “sample sparing” assays would have a broad impact across pediatric and other rare sample type studies in addition to enabling sequential sampling. This capability would advance both clinical and basic research applications. Here we report the micro blood analysis technology (μBAT), a microfluidic platform that supports multiplexed analysis of neutrophils from a single drop of blood. We demonstrate the multiplexed orthogonal capabilities of μBAT including functional assays (phagocytosis, neutrophil extracellular traps, optical metabolic imaging) and molecular assays (gene expression, cytokine secretion). Importantly we validate our microscale platform using a macroscale benchmark assay. μBAT is compatible with lancet puncture or microdraw devices, and its design facilitates rapid operations without the need for specialized equipment. μBAT offers a new method for investigating neutrophil function in populations with restricted sample amounts.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" 17","pages":" 4198-4210"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141892343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2024-08-06DOI: 10.1039/D4LC00523F
Chen Ni, Mingqi Yang, Shuai Yang, Zhixian Zhu, Yao Chen, Lin Jiang and Nan Xiang
{"title":"Three-dimensional inertial focusing based impedance cytometer enabling high-accuracy characterization of electrical properties of tumor cells†","authors":"Chen Ni, Mingqi Yang, Shuai Yang, Zhixian Zhu, Yao Chen, Lin Jiang and Nan Xiang","doi":"10.1039/D4LC00523F","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4LC00523F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The differences in the cross-sectional positions of cells in the detection area have a severe negative impact on achieving accurate characterization of the impedance spectra of cells. Herein, we proposed a three-dimensional (3D) inertial focusing based impedance cytometer integrating sheath fluid compression and inertial focusing for the high-accuracy electrical characterization and identification of tumor cells. First, we studied the effects of the particle initial position and the sheath fluid compression on particle focusing. Then, the relationship of the particle height and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the impedance signal was explored. The results showed that efficient single-line focusing of 7–20 μm particles close to the electrodes was achieved and impedance signals with a high SNR and a low coefficient of variation (CV) were obtained. Finally, the electrical properties of three types of tumor cells (A549, MDA-MB-231, and UM-UC-3 cells) were accurately characterized. Machine learning algorithms were implemented to accurately identify tumor cells based on the amplitude and phase opacities at multiple frequencies. Compared with traditional two-dimensional (2D) inertial focusing, the identification accuracy of A549, MDA-MB-231, and UM-UC-3 cells using our 3D inertial focusing increased by 57.5%, 36.4% and 36.6%, respectively. The impedance cytometer enables the detection of cells with a wide size range without causing clogging and obtains high SNR signals, improving applicability to different complex biological samples and cell identification accuracy.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" 18","pages":" 4333-4343"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141895237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2024-08-05DOI: 10.1039/D4LC00206G
Dvin Adalian, Xiomi Madero, Samson Chen, Musab Jilani, Richard D. Smith, Songtai Li, Christin Ahlbrecht, Juan Cardenas, Abhinav Agarwal, Azita Emami, Oliver Plettenburg, Peter A. Petillo and Axel Scherer
{"title":"Patterned thin film enzyme electrodes via spincoating and glutaraldehyde vapor crosslinking: towards scalable fabrication of integrated sensor-on-CMOS devices","authors":"Dvin Adalian, Xiomi Madero, Samson Chen, Musab Jilani, Richard D. Smith, Songtai Li, Christin Ahlbrecht, Juan Cardenas, Abhinav Agarwal, Azita Emami, Oliver Plettenburg, Peter A. Petillo and Axel Scherer","doi":"10.1039/D4LC00206G","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4LC00206G","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Effective continuous glucose monitoring solutions require consistent sensor performance over the lifetime of the device, a manageable variance between devices, and the capability of high volume, low cost production. Here we present a novel and microfabrication-compatible method of depositing and stabilizing enzyme layers on top of planar electrodes that can aid in the mass production of sensors while also improving their consistency. This work is focused on the fragile biorecognition layer as that has been a critical difficulty in the development of microfabricated sensors. We test this approach with glucose oxidase (GOx) and evaluate the sensor performance with amperometric measurements of <em>in vitro</em> glucose concentrations. Spincoating was used to deposit a uniform enzyme layer across a wafer, which was subsequently immobilized <em>via</em> glutaraldehyde vapor crosslinking and patterned <em>via</em> liftoff. This yielded an approximately 300 nm thick sensing layer which was applied to arrays of microfabricated platinum electrodes built on blank wafers. Taking advantage of their planar array format, measurements were then performed in high-throughput parallel instrumentation. Due to their thin structure, the coated electrodes exhibited subsecond stabilization times after the bias potential was applied. The deposited enzyme layers were measured to provide a sensitivity of 2.3 ± 0.2 μA mM<small><sup>−1</sup></small> mm<small><sup>−2</sup></small> with suitable saturation behavior and minimal performance shift observed over extended use. The same methodology was then demonstrated directly on top of wireless CMOS potentiostats to build a monolithic sensor with similar measured performance. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of the combination of spincoating and vapor stabilization processes for wafer scale enzymatic sensor functionalization and the potential for scalable fabrication of monolithic sensor-on-CMOS devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" 17","pages":" 4172-4181"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141887622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2024-08-02DOI: 10.1039/D4LC00468J
Fangchen Liu, Cyril Deroy and Amy E. Herr
{"title":"Microfluidics for macrofluidics: addressing marine-ecosystem challenges in an era of climate change","authors":"Fangchen Liu, Cyril Deroy and Amy E. Herr","doi":"10.1039/D4LC00468J","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4LC00468J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Climate change presents a mounting challenge with profound impacts on ocean and marine ecosystems, leading to significant environmental, health, and economic consequences. Microfluidic technologies, with their unique capabilities, play a crucial role in understanding and addressing the marine aspects of the climate crisis. These technologies leverage quantitative, precise, and miniaturized formats that enhance the capabilities of sensing, imaging, and molecular tools. Such advancements are critical for monitoring marine systems under the stress of climate change and elucidating their response mechanisms. This review explores microfluidic technologies employed both in laboratory settings for testing and in the field for monitoring purposes. We delve into the application of miniaturized tools in evaluating ocean-based solutions to climate change, thus offering fresh perspectives from the solution-oriented end of the spectrum. We further aim to synthesize recent developments in technology around critical questions concerning the ocean environment and marine ecosystems, while discussing the potential for future innovations in microfluidic technology. The purpose of this review is to enhance understanding of current capabilities and assist researchers interested in mitigating the effects of climate change to identify new avenues for tackling the pressing issues posed by climate change in marine ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" 17","pages":" 4007-4027"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2024/lc/d4lc00468j?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141873644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lab on a ChipPub Date : 2024-07-31DOI: 10.1039/D4LC00429A
Iiro Rautsola, Markus Haapala, Leo Huttunen, Ossi Korhonen and Tiina Sikanen
{"title":"Extending the shelf life of HLM chips through freeze-drying of human liver microsomes immobilized onto thiol–ene micropillar arrays†","authors":"Iiro Rautsola, Markus Haapala, Leo Huttunen, Ossi Korhonen and Tiina Sikanen","doi":"10.1039/D4LC00429A","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4LC00429A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Microfluidic flow reactors functionalized with immobilized human liver microsomes (HLM chips) represent a powerful tool for drug discovery and development by enabling mechanism-based enzyme inhibition studies under flow-through conditions. Additionally, HLM chips may be exploited in streamlined production of human drug metabolites for subsequent microfluidic <em>in vitro</em> organ models or as metabolite standards for drug safety assessment. However, the limited shelf life of the biofunctionalized microreactors generally poses a major barrier to their commercial adaptation in terms of both storage and shipping. The shelf life of the HLM chips in the wetted state is <em>ca.</em> 2–3 weeks only and requires cold storage at 4 °C. In this study, we developed a freeze-drying method for lyophilization of HLMs that are readily immobilized inside microfluidic pillar arrays made from off-stoichiometric thiol–ene polymer. The success of lyophilization was evaluated by monitoring the cytochrome P450 and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase enzyme activities of rehydrated HLMs for several months post-freeze-drying. By adapting the freeze-drying protocol, the HLM chips could be stored at room temperature (protected from light and moisture) for at least 9 months (<em>n</em> = 2 independent batches) and up to 16 months at best, with recovered enzyme activities within 60–120% of the non-freeze-dried control chips. This is a major improvement over the cold-storage requirement and the limited shelf life of the non-freeze-dried HLM chips, which can significantly ease the design of experiments, decrease energy consumption during storage, and reduce the shipping costs with a view to commercial adaptation.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" 17","pages":" 4211-4220"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2024/lc/d4lc00429a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141857691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}