Magnetic Pump

In dynamic cell culturing a natural blood flow as it occurs in the human body would be preferred. Blood cells are exposed to an abnormal environment when taking a blood sample, transportation and particularly during pumping through a µ-slide for live-microscopy. Characteristic expressions of blood cells change due to strong pressure gradients and gravitational sedimentation. High shear stresses caused by pumping systems destroy a cells membrane. A gentle pulsatile pump integrated on a lab-on-chip device permits the constant recirculation of cell suspension, allow their culture under dynamic conditions and permit the analysis of cell-cell or cell-material interactions. Ferrofluidic pumping systems are limited due to plug leakage caused by high pressure gradients. Electromagnetic field simulations can be used to optimize nanoparticles closure between plug and channel surface. In order to obtain low cell damage with a high flow rate the particle damage index (PDI) is analysed. Velocity computation, shear stress calculation and optimal design are determined from a structured and automated optimization tool (HEEDS MDO). Obtained design parameters are used to fabricate a prototype cell gentle pump for cell imaging under [LSC13-024] Cell Gentle Pumping NFB - Antrag Abschnitt 1: Life Science Call 2013 - Aufruf zum Einreichen von Forschungsprojekten zum Themenkomplex Life Science dynamic conditions. Hemolysis tests of blood and cytotoxicity tests on cell lines ensure the biocompatibility of the proposed technology. ** This work is partially co-funded by the NÖ Forschungs- und Bildungsges.m.b.H. (NFB) within the Life Science Call. The authors are responsible for the contents of this publication.