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    Nano and Micro Technologies

    (K-415) Low-Cost Fabrication of Organ-on-a-Chip Devices with 3D Printing

    Friday, October 13, 2023
    3:30 PM – 4:30 PM PDT
    Location: Exhibit Hall - Row K - Poster # 415
    Introduction:: Organ-on-a-chip microfluidic devices have been used to cultivate a variety of human tissue cells to model organs. Beyond traditional testing of drug candidates in animal models, microfluidic devices can mimic human physiology to give a response analogous with testing on human tissue. With the potential to increase accuracy and reduce research timelines, organ-on-a-chip devices will improve clinical efficacy and accelerate the drug development process in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. However, the traditional fabrication of organ-on-a-chip devices utilizes cleanroom photolithography process, which may be cost-prohibitive and highly time consuming. The specialized, expensive equipment used for this process requires trained users and skilled technicians for operation. Additionally, to fabricate complex multi-layer channels in devices, the standard manufacturing steps must be repeated for each new layer.

    Materials and Methods:: We report an affordable and rapid method of fabricating multi-layer microfluidic devices by exploiting stereolithography 3D printing. Here, we have produced dual-layer, three-lane organ-on-a-chip devices using a $500 3D printer by printing complete molds in less than 2 hours and at under $0.25 per mold. By optimizing printing and post-processing parameters, we are able to recreate challenging, microscopic channel geometries and replicate the fluid behavior observed in a device made from a traditional, photolithography-produced mold.

    Results, Conclusions, and Discussions:: Given the unique capabilities of this specific microfluidic design to pin a fluid in any one of three interconnected parallel channels, this device allows for the emulation of a physiological environment with a biological barrier between two fluid streams. For example, by pinning a hydrogel in the center channel of this device, endothelial and epithelial lumens can be cultured in the outer channels and the diffusion of molecules across the hydrogel barrier can be studied. Our approach will not only help researchers reduce expenditures and shorten fabrication timelines, but also increase the accessibility of organ-on-a-chip research to labs with limited access to cleanroom facilities and resources.

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