Microfluidic platform for the rapid production of organoids/spheroids for compound screening
US11466240B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 16, 2018 |
| Grant date | Oct 11, 2022 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 1, 2039 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC12N2533/80
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present disclosure provides a method of producing uniformly sized organoids/multicellular spheroids using a microfluidic device having an array of microwells. The method involves several successive steps. First, a microfluidic device containing parallel rows of microwells that are connected with a supplying channel is filled with a wetting agent. The wetting agent is a liquid that is immiscible in water. For example, the wetting agent may be an organic liquid such as oil. In the next step, the agent in the supplying channel and the microwells is replaced with a suspension of cells in an aqueous solution that contains a precursor for a hydrogel. Next, the aqueous phase in the supplying channel is replaced with the agent, which leads to the formation of an array of droplets of cell suspension in the hydrogel precursor solution, which were compartmentalized in the wells. The droplets are then transformed into cell-laden hydrogels. Subsequently, the agent in the supplying channel is replaced with the cell culture medium continuously flowing through the microfluidic device and the cells within the hydrogels are transformed into multicellular spheroids.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.