The ONIX Perfusion System was developed by CellASIC to overcome the limitations encountered with traditional microfluidics setups. Operations that used to take expert engineers hours of tedious tinkering can now be performed in a few minutes on any benchtop. This system is the equivalent of 8 syringe pumps, a perfusion chamber apparatus, and a CO2 incubator— at a fraction of the cost and greatly improved quality and ease of use.
A low-profile manifold connects the control system with the microfluidic plates. The manifold is set on top of the wells of the plate, and forms an air tight seal using a vacuum mechanism. The wells are addressed with pneumatic pressure to drive liquids into the microfluidic channels. There is no contact between the flow system and the biological solutions (on the microfluidic plate), preventing contamination and lengthy clean-up. Various manifold layouts are available to address different plate formats and application types.
The manifold and plate assembly fit into standard 96-well plate holders on any inverted microscope. Since the manifold only contacts the microfluidic plate from the top, the bottom imaging surface (#1.5 thickness, 170um, glass slide) is easily accessible by any objective lens. An imaging window cut through the manifold improves optical clarity.
The CO2 output line (pre-set at 5%) leads from the Perfusion System to the microincubation chamber created between the microfluidic plate and the manifold. The CO2 percentage can be adjusted using the CO2 calibration sensor. If other gas compositions are desired, user generated gas mixtures can be directly attached to the gas line of the manifold via a luer fitting. |