Modular device information

Parts

  • The insert is a standalone tissue culture piece. Cells can be cultured on either side of a porous membrane, similar to a Transwell insert. This removes the complexity of seeding and maturing cultures in the confines of microfluidic channels. After monolayer establishment, experiments can be run using just the insert in static conditions, or the insert can be reversibly clamped into a cassette for experiments with fluid perfusion and shear stress. This enables multiple different assays and experimental designs to be facilitated. The insert is consumable and a new insert will be needed for every experiment.

    Pair with:

    • A culture well to establish tissue culture

    • A cassette (standard or imaging) and a pump-kit to establish shear stress in the model

    • An incubator tray to organize and hold all materials within the incubator during fluid flow culture

    Customization:

    The standard insert consists of a two vertically stacked, straight channels design. If you require a different geometry, please contact us and we can collaborate to design and fabricate a geometry that fits your experimental needs. Many insert changes can be easily and readily accomplished.

Standard insert

  • The cassette reversibly clamps around the insert to created sealed microfluidic channels. The Standard cassette enables upright microscopy through a coverslip located in the cassette lid if desired. The insert can be removed from the cassette after experimentation to facilitate diverse experimental plans. Cassettes are reusable and sterilizable.

    Pair with:

    • A standard insert for tissue model with shear stress

    • A pump-kit to connect the model to a pump to establish fluid flow and shear stress

    • An incubator tray to organize and hold all materials within the incubator during fluid flow culture

    Customization:

    The standard cassette is designed for simple experiments requiring fluid flow. If you require live-imaging using an inverted microscope, the imaging cassette may be more suitable for your needs. If you require other changes to the cassette, please contact us and we can collaborate to design and fabricate a cassette that fits your experimental needs. Cassette changes will likely take more time to ensure functionality than insert changes.

Standard Cassette

  • The cassette reversibly clamps around the insert to create sealed microfluidic channels. The Imaging cassette enables inverted higher -magnification microscopy through a coverslip located in the cassette base. The base is specifically designed to decrease the working distance between the objective and the imaging planes as much as possible. The insert can be removed from the cassette after experimentation to facilitate diverse experimental plans. Cassettes are reusable and sterilizable.

    Pair with:

    • a standard insert for tissue model with shear stress

    • A pump-kit to connect the model to a pump to establish fluid flow and shear stress

    • A incubator tray to organize and hold all materials within the incubator during fluid flow culture

    Customization:

    The imaging cassette is designed for live imaging with an inverted microscope during culture under fluid flow. If you do not require live-imaging, the standard cassette may be more suitable for your needs. If you require other changes to the cassette, please contact us and we can collaborate to design and fabricate a cassette that fits your experimental needs. Cassette changes will likely take more time to ensure functionality than insert changes.

Imaging Cassette

  • The pump-kit consists of the tubing, media reservoirs, and connectors to couple two (2) assembled insert/cassettes devices to a peristaltic pump. The tubing is reusable and sterilizable but does have a limited life span.

    Pair with:

    • Insert and cassette tissue model

    • A incubator tray to organize and hold all materials within the incubator during fluid flow culture

    Customization:

    The pump kit should be able to be used for any experimental set up. If you require any changes, please contact us and we will be able to design and fabricate a pump kit that works for your experimental plan.

Pump-kit

  • Culture wells provide a support for the insert and a well for a media reservoir to enable cell seeding and tissue maturation within the insert. There is a single culture well for one (1) insert or a 4-well culture well for four (4) inserts simultaneously. Culture wells are reusable and sterilizable.

    Pair with:

    • Insert to establish tissue culture

    Customization:

    The culture wells are designed to work with the standard insert to establish culture. If you require other designs, please ask us and we can work with you to make a culture well that works for you.

Culture wells

  • The incubator tray holds up to four (4) insert/standard cassette assemblies, media reservoirs, and tubing in an to keep all pieces organized when setting up and running an experiment. It requires a Genesee Scientific 4-way tube rack. The device can be assembled in a biosafety cabinet in the tray and moved to the incubator easily.

    Pair with:

    • Pump-kit, cassette, and insert

    Customization:

    The incubator tray is designed to work with the cassette and pump-kit. If you need additional features, please contact us.

Incubator tray

  • The starter kit has all of the materials needed to start up experimentation. We suggest requesting the starter kit and continue to request inserts as needed. The starter kit consists of:

    • 25 standard inserts

    • 2 cassettes (standard and/or imaging)

    • 1 pump-kit

    • 4-well culture well

    • 1 incubator tray

    Customization:

    Please contact us if you require anything specific including increasing number of parts or specialized parts.

Work with us

Consulting

  • Request stock parts from us at a low cost

  • We provide written and video protocols and requested parts

  • Acknowledge the Gleghorn Lab in any publications

  • Positive working relationship

Collaboration

  • Request stock parts from us at a low cost

  • We provide written and video protocols and requested parts

  • Request minor customization of any part

  • Positive working relationship and technical support

  • Authorship on initial manuscripts, acknowledge the Gleghorn Lab in any subsequent publications

Co-investigation

  • Request stock parts from us

  • We provide written and video protocols and requested parts

  • Request any customization of any part and work with us to validate the part

  • Request new parts that require research and development of the device

  • Positive working relationship and technical support

  • Authorship on manuscripts that use customized and new parts, acknowledge the Gleghorn Lab in any publications with stock parts

Required equipment/infrastructure

Biosafety cabinet (BSC)

  • Any BSC that is classified for the type of cell culture your research requires

Peristaltic pump

  • We suggest the Golander BT100F-1 pump with the DG10-8 pump head (SKU: BT100F-1-DG10-8)

  • The important specification of the pump are:

    • Peristaltic pump (not a syringe pump)

    • Flow range: 0.00011-20 mL/min (important for the fluid flows needed in the device based off of the device size)

    • Flow accuracy: 0.5% (important for accurate fluid flows in the device)

    • 8 channels (important to be able to run multiple devices from the same pump, which can save money and space. You will need at least 2 channels per device)

Cell culture incubator

  • A incubator classified for the type of cell culture required for your research

  • The pump will sit outside of the incubator so a location for the pump next to/on top of the incubator is required if need fluid flow for experiments

  • Pump tubing needs to be able to exit the incubator via a port in the back of the incubator

  • We suggest a hypoxic incubator to ensure cell culture can occur at physiologically relevant oxygen tensions

50 mL conical tube holder