Researchers may be able to ditch the expensive photolithography equipment used for making microfluidic flow cells and cell-patterning devices designed to study cellular spatial organization. Scotch tape and a scalpel are all that’s needed, says Raquel Perez-Castillejos, a biomedical engineer at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark.
Typically, researchers use photolithographic technology to fabricate the tiny chambers and channels used in microfluidic devices, or wells for depositing cells onto specific parts of culture dishes and slides. However, the equipment can be expensive, and generally needs to be housed in dust-free facilities, which are not readily available to all researchers.
Perez-Castillejos realized that such a sophisticated and precise apparatus was not essential for tackling many research questions. “Sometimes we are trying to provide very high precision to problems that don’t require it, and we make it complicated for no reason,” she said.
Instead, her group made molds by...
“For those labs not set up for microfluidics or photolithography, [the technique] could provide an easy entry into the field,” says Michael Dickey, a chemical and biomolecular engineering professor at North Carolina State University, who was not involved in the study. (Biotechniques, 53:315-18, 2012.)
| THE METHODS | EQUIPMENT REQUIRED | HOW IT WORKS | TIME TO MAKE MASTER AND REPLICATES | COST |
| Photolithography | Photolithography machine, housed in a dust-free clean room | Fabricates a master mold from photo-curable polymer, make replicates from PDMS | 1-2 days | Around $200,000 for all equipment, plus approx. $10 for each master |
| Scotch-tape lithography | Scalpel, ruler, Scotch tape | Fabricate master by cutting Scotch tape into desired design. Make replicates from PDMS | 1-2 hours | Around $10 for equipment and $1 for each master |
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