Funding tool: Basic research projects
Project-ID: LS13-024
Project start: 01. Oktober 2014
Project end: will follow
Runtime: 24 months / finished
Funding amount: € 245.000,00

Brief summary:

In dynamic cell culturing a natural blood flow as it occurs in the human body would be preferred. Blood cells are exposed to an abnormal environment when taking a blood sample, transportation and particularly during pumping through a µ-slide for live-microscopy. Characteristic expressions of blood cells change due to strong pressure gradients and gravitational sedimentation. High shear stresses caused by pumping systems destroy a cells membrane. A gentle pulsatile pump integrated on a lab-on-chip device permits the constant recirculation of cell suspension, allow their culture under dynamic conditions and permit the analysis of cell-cell or cell-material interactions.
Ferrofluidic pumping systems are limited due to plug leakage caused by high pressure gradients. Electromagnetic field simulations can be used to optimize nanoparticles closure between plug and channel surface. In order to obtain low cell damage with a high flow rate the particle damage index (PDI) is analysed. Velocity computation, shear stress calculation and optimal design are determined from a structured and automated optimization tool (HEEDS MDO).
Obtained design parameters are used to fabricate a prototype cell gentle pump for cell imaging under dynamic conditions. Hemolysis tests of blood and cytotoxicity tests on cell lines ensure the biocompatibility of the proposed technology.

Keywords:
dynamic cell culturing, cell damage, shear stress, flow rate