Advanced Biomicrofluidics Support (ABS) at LiMe
The Shintaku Lab helps clinical medicine, basic life sciences, and engineering researchers solve their research problems by leveraging our microfluidics expertise.
We share our facilities for microfabrication, optical microscopy, and molecular biology with academic researchers. Here are some examples of sharing devices.
Software
Lab GitHub: https://github.com/LiMe-NanoBioeng
Microfluidics
MiSA is an open-source system that provides microfluidic flow control by regulating the pressure with electro-pneumatic regulators, solenoid valves, a flow meter, and a miniature diaphragm pump.
MiSA works on a Python GUI program that configures the manual operations and automated sequential flow control.
We have demonstrated various applications of MiSA, including microfluidic droplet formation, spider-silk spinning, hybridization-based in situ sequencing, and sample preparation for cryogenic transmission electron microscopy.
-MiSA integrated with Vitrobot for blotting protein solution on a grid for cryogenic-transmission electron microscopy.
-Pulsed spray with co-axial liquid-gas flow
-Photo-sensor for automatic termination of spray
-Gas humidifier and heater
MiSA for microfluidic droplet production
-Liquid-liquid two-phase flow with pressure-based microfluidic control
-Droplet/hydrogel beads production with microfluidic emulsification (Shintaku et al. Microsyst Technol 2007, Tsuchida et al. LabChip 2024)
-Bright-field imaging (white)
-Stage top incubator
Electrokinetics
We have expertise in developing electrokinetic approaches (Shintaku et al. Anal Chem 2014, Abdelmoez et al. Anal Chem 2020) to manipulate cells and biomolecules. We have various voltage supplies such as high voltage sequencers (LabSmith), source meters (Keithley), and in-house devices.
We support flow diagnosis with particle image velocimetry (PIV) and particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) (Shintaku et al. Angew Chem 2014, JFST 2009).
3D printer (Form3, FormLab)
-Stereolithography
-Printing resolution: xy: 25 µm; z: 25 µm
-Available resin: Standard (clear, grey; Useful to fabricate a jig), High Temp (High-temperature resistance (up to 240˚C); Useful to fabricate PDMS molds)
Shiomi et al. Nat Commun 2024 (Electrode base, Cell-culture chamber)
Photolithography
We support the fabrication of SU-8 molds for PDMS microfluidic devices by designing CAD, ordering photomasks, fabricating SU-8 molds, and replica molding PDMS superstructures. (Exposure wavelengths: 365 and 410 nm)
-Chen et al. Nat Commun 2024 (CAD file for lithography)
Microfabrication
Microscopes
-Software: micro-manager
-Bright-field imaging (565 nm)
-Epi-fluorescence microscopy (Ex. 365, 470, 565, 625 nm; Camera: Hamamatsu Photonics ImagEM X2 1024x1024 pix; Chroma 89404 with a filter changer (FW102C, Thorlabs))
-XYZ stage
-TIRFM with 642 nm.
-Stage top heater
in Rm 421 at 2nd Building of LiMe
-Software: micro-manager
-Bright-field imaging (565 nm)
-Epi-fluorescence microscopy (Ex. 365, 455, 470, 565, 625 nm; Camera: Andor Sona)
-Confocal microscopy (spinning disc type, CSU-X1; Ex. 405, 488, 561, 640 nm; Camera: Andor iXon)
-XYZ stage
-Stage top incubator (CO2, humidified)
-Software: micro-manager
-Bright-field imaging (565 nm)
-Epi-fluorescence microscopy (Ex. 365, 435, 475, 500-600, 635, 735 nm (X-Cite NOVEM, XT910); Camera: Andor Sona-4BV6U)
-XYZ stage
-Stage top incubator (CO2, humidified)
-Automatic epi-fluorescence microscope
-4x, 10x DIC, 20x, 20x DIC, 40x DIC
in Rm 421 at 2nd Building of LiMe
-Software: micro-manager
-Bright-field imaging (565 nm)
-Epi-fluorescence microscopy (Ex. 365, 470, 565, 625 nm; Camera: ORCA-Flash2.8)
-FRAP, RICM
-XY stage
-Stage top incubator
-Software: MetaMorph
-Bright-field imaging
-Epi-fluorescence microscopy
-Camera: Neo (Andor, sCMOS)
-40x objective