CAPILLARY-BASED LIQUID-IN-AIR BIOPRINTER

CAPILLARY-BASED LIQUID-IN-AIR BIOPRINTER

Researchers at UCSF have developed an apparatus and methods for dispensing droplets, which can be used to spatially control the placement of cells in many applications including tissue engineering, organoids, stem cell research, and high-throughput screening.

Stage of Research

The inventors have developed an apparatus for dispensing droplets that contains a dispenser, a liquid source, and a pressure source. The dispenser includes a tube with an outlet, a channel surrounding the tube, and a flow path coupling the channel and the outlet of the tube. The liquid source is coupled to the tube and the pressure source coupled to the channel. The liquid flows through the tube, the pressure source flows gas through the channel, and a droplet of the liquid is thus dispensed from the outlet of the tube.

Applications

Tissue engineering
Organoids
Stem cell research
High-throughput screening

Advantages

A fine-tunable device with precision-controlled dispensing of droplets for a wide variety of applications
Flexibile implementation whereby:
- The apparatus tube can include a capillary, an optical fiber, or a microfluidic chamber
- The apparatus can include a membrane valve to at least partially define the flow path with an outlet actuatable to a first position and a second position
- Variable widths possible for the apparatus flow path(s)