Issue 23, 2016

DROPLAY: laser writing of functional patterns within biological microdroplet displays

Abstract

In this study, we introduce an optofluidic method for the rapid construction of large-area cell-sized droplet assemblies with user-defined, re-writable, two-dimensional patterns of functional droplets. Light responsive water-in-oil droplets capable of releasing fluorescent dye molecules upon exposure were generated and self-assembled into arrays inside a microfluidic device. This biological architecture was exploited by the scanning laser of a confocal microscope to ‘write’ user defined patterns of differentiated (fluorescent) droplets in a network of originally undifferentiated (non-fluorescent) droplets. As a result, long lasting images were produced on a droplet fabric with droplets acting as pixels of a biological monitor, which can be erased and re-written on-demand. Regio-specific light-induced droplet differentiation within a large population of droplets provides a new paradigm for the rapid construction of bio-synthetic systems with potential as tissue mimics and biological display materials.

Graphical abstract: DROPLAY: laser writing of functional patterns within biological microdroplet displays

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 sep 2016
Accepted
18 okt 2016
First published
18 okt 2016
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Lab Chip, 2016,16, 4621-4627

DROPLAY: laser writing of functional patterns within biological microdroplet displays

C. L. Chan, G. Bolognesi, A. Bhandarkar, M. S. Friddin, N. J. Brooks, J. M. Seddon, R. V. Law, L. M. C. Barter and O. Ces, Lab Chip, 2016, 16, 4621 DOI: 10.1039/C6LC01219A

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