Programmable Microfluidic Synthesis of Over One Thousand Uniquely Identifiable Spectral Codes.

Encoded microparticles have become a powerful tool for a wide array of applications, including high-throughput sample tracking and massively parallel biological multiplexing. Spectral encoding, where particles are encoded with distinct luminescence spectra, provides a particularly appealing encoding strategy because of the ease of reading codes and assay flexibility. To date, spectral encoding has been limited in the number of codes that can be accurately resolved. Here, we demonstrate an automated 5-dimensional spectral encoding scheme using lanthanide nanophosphors that is capable of producing isotropic spherical microparticles with up to 1,100 unique codes, which we term MRBLEs (Microspheres with Ratiometric Barcode Lanthanide Encoding). We further develop a quantitative framework for evaluating global ability to distinguish codes and demonstrate that for six different sets of MRBLEs ranging from 106 to 1,101 codes in size, > 98% of MRBLEs can be assigned to a code with 99.99% confidence. These > 1,000 code sets represent the largest spectral code libraries built to date. We expect that these MRBLEs will enable a wide variety of novel multiplexed assays.

A silicon carbide array for electrocorticography and peripheral nerve recording.

OBJECTIVE: Current neural probes have a limited device lifetime of a few years. Their common failure mode is the degradation of insulating films and/or the delamination of the conductor-insulator interfaces. We sought to develop a technology that does not suffer from such limitations and would be suitable for chronic applications with very long device lifetimes. APPROACH: We developed a fabrication method that integrates polycrystalline conductive silicon carbide with insulating silicon carbide. The technology employs amorphous silicon carbide as the insulator and conductive silicon carbide at the recording sites, resulting in a seamless transition between doped and amorphous regions of the same material, eliminating heterogeneous interfaces prone to delamination. Silicon carbide has outstanding chemical stability, is biocompatible, is an excellent molecular barrier and is compatible with standard microfabrication processes. MAIN RESULTS: We have fabricated silicon carbide electrode arrays using our novel fabrication method. We conducted in vivo experiments in which electrocorticography recordings from the primary visual cortex of a rat were obtained and were of similar quality to those of polymer based electrocorticography arrays. The silicon carbide electrode arrays were also used as a cuff electrode wrapped around the sciatic nerve of a rat to record the nerve response to electrical stimulation. Finally, we demonstrated the outstanding long term stability of our insulating silicon carbide films through accelerated aging tests. SIGNIFICANCE: Clinical translation in neural engineering has been slowed in part due to the poor long term performance of current probes. Silicon carbide devices are a promising technology that may accelerate this transition by enabling truly chronic applications.

Correction: Programmable microfluidic synthesis of spectrally encoded microspheres.

Correction for 'Programmable microfluidic synthesis of spectrally encoded microspheres' by R. E. Gerver et al., Lab Chip, 2012, 12, 4716-4723.

Programmable microfluidic synthesis of spectrally encoded microspheres.

Spectrally encoded fluorescent beads are an attractive platform for assay miniaturization and multiplexing in the biological sciences. Here, we synthesize hydrophilic PEG-acrylate polymer beads encoded with lanthanide nanophosphors using a fully automated microfluidic synthesis device. These beads are encoded by including varying amounts of two lanthanide nanophosphors relative to a third reference nanophosphor to generate 24 distinct ratios. These codes differ by less than 3% from their target values and can be distinguished from each other with an error rate of <0.1%. The encoded bead synthesis strategy we have used is readily extensible to larger numbers of codes, potentially up to millions, providing a new platform technology for assay multiplexing.

Systematic characterization of feature dimensions and closing pressures for microfluidic valves produced via photoresist reflow.

Multilayer soft lithography (MSL) provides a convenient and low-cost method for fabricating poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic devices with on-chip valves for automated and precise control of fluid flow. MSL casting molds for flow channels typically incorporate small patches of rounded positive photoresist at valve locations to achieve the rounded cross-sectional profile required for these valves to function properly. Despite the importance of these rounded features for device performance, a comprehensive characterization of how the rounding process affects feature dimensions and closing pressures has been lacking. Here, we measure valve dimensions both before and after rounding and closing pressures for 120 different valve widths and lengths at post-rounding heights between 15 and 84 µm, for a total of 1200 different geometries spanning a wide range of useful sizes. We find that valve height and width after rounding depend strongly on valve aspect ratios, with these effects becoming more pronounced for taller and narrower features. Based on the measured data, we provide a simple fitted model and an online tool for estimating the pre-rounding dimensions needed to achieve desired post-rounding dimensions. We also find that valve closing pressures are well explained by modelling valve membranes in a manner analogous to a suspension bridge, shedding new light on device physics and providing a practical model for estimating closing pressures during device design.