3D PRINTING FOR MICROGEL-BASED LIVER CELL ENCAPSULATION

In this work, we describe the rapid prototyping of a microfluidic device for the surfactant free encapsulation of human liver cells (HepG2 cell line) in gelatin microgels, for the purpose of 3D tissue mimics in high-throughput cytotoxicity screening. Chips with rectangular channels of approximately 260 mu m high by 350 mu m wide produced a droplet size of 130 +/- 12 mu m at a rate of 7.9 +/- 0.6 drops per second. Integrated water heating and cooling systems were efficient at regulating channel temperature, preventing the coalescence of droplets within the device without any need for surfactants. HepG2 cell viability two hours after microgel generation was 96.5%.

Automated summary

This study describes the rapid prototyping of a microfluidic device for surfactant-free encapsulation of liver cells in gelatin microgels, enabling high-throughput cytotoxicity screening. Chips with rectangular channels effectively produced droplets without surfactants, with HepG2 cell viability reaching 96.5% two hours post-generation.