Application notes

In this Application Note, PLGA shell/aqueous core microcapsules are obtained using the Secoya Raydrop Double emulsion. The influence of the fluidic parameters on the microcapsule size and release from the oil across the shell are explored in this application note.

This application note describes the use of the new Fluigent Aria – a software-assisted instrument capable of delivering up to 10 different solutions – for the automation of a complete protocol of capture and labeling of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells including surface treatment, injection of antibodies-coated beads, and cell suspension, and immunostaining steps.

Microfluidic cell culture has significant advantages over macroscopic culture in flasks, Petri dishes, and well-plates. To demonstrate the importance of flow stability in vascular models, endothelial cells seeded in microfluidic chips were perfused either using a peristaltic pump or pressure-based flow controllers. 

In this application, we are going to present a robust capillary-based device that allows single-step production of double emulsion with a single device. Different examples of double emulsion (w/o/w and o/w/o) have been generated to show the versatility and adaptability of the Raydrop to multiple applications such as Polymer and Hydrogel microcapsules for drug delivery or for encapsulation of cells for FACS sorting as well.

In this Application Note, chitosan-shell/oily-core microcapsules are generated using the Raydrop double emulsion chip, and Fluigent pressure-based flow controllers. The influence of the fluidic parameters on the size and the release from the oil across the shell are studied and presented.

Following is a method for encapsulation of reagent into alginate microbeads with total control of bead formation. A droplet-based microfluidic method is used to precisely control the production of microbeads without the drawbacks of large size distribution that present other methods.

Liposomes were discovered in the 1960s. These hollow nanoparticles are phospholipid vesicles consisting of at least one lipid bilayer. This bilayer is usually composed of amphiphilicphospholipids that have a hydrophilic phosphate head and a hydrophobic tail consisting of two fatty acid chains. This structural feature has facilitated liposomes’ applications, including their use as artificial cell membranes, carriers for drug delivery systems, encapsulating agents forfood ingredients, and analytical tools.

When PLGA is used as an active pharmaceutical ingredient carrier it is important to produce highly monodispersed particles for drug release reproducibility. The most common production process of PLGA particles is solvent based and can involve hazardous solutions. Ethyl acetate is preferred as it shows better biocompatibility than other conventional solvent such as dichloromethane.

Using the double emulsion Raydrop, controlled double emulsification is achieved by dripping or jetting the core fluid into an immiscible shell fluid, which is then encapsulated by the third fluid. In this note, capsules are formed by consolidating shell phase of the resulting double emulsions by uv-crosslinking of monomers and photoinitiator used as shell phase.

In this short note, we present a Fluigent microfluidic solution for polymer microparticle synthesis with high monodispersity (2% CV). The microfluidic system allows for inline particle generation, spacing, and polymerization by UV light.