Figure 1. Digital microfluidics. Left: a DMF device consisting of 144 independent actuation electrodes. Right: devices are composed of two parallel plates. The bottom plate is patterned with an array of electrodes and coated by a hydrophobic insulator. The top plate bears the counter electrode and is covered with a hydrophobic coating.
Figure 2. Cell culture on DMF. (A) Virtual microwells: Droplets containing cells suspended in media are translated across patterned hydrophilic sites where a subdroplet is generated by surface interaction forces. The device is then flipped to allow for cells to settle and adhere to the hydrophilic site. Here, cells stained with calcein-AM are imaged by stereomicroscopy immediately after seeding on device. (B) Primary cells: Aortic interstitial cells isolated from pig hearts cultured for 48 hours on device were then fixed and stained with Hoescht (blue – nuclei) and Phalloidin (green – actin). Imaging was performed by epifluorescence microscopy. Scale bar = 200 µm. (C) Multiplexing: Automation combined with multiplexed devices allows for rapid screening of multiple conditions. Here 16 conditions are screened simultaneously.