Funding and Acknowledgments Initial Results References Microfluidic ...
High Throughput Microfluidic Assembly of Uniform Polymersome Nanocomposites Jacob Barlow, Anne Van De Ven-Moloney, Srinivas Sridhar Departments of Physics, Bioengineering, and Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University
Alternative to Self Assembly Methods Nano scale polymersomes that mimic the structure and function of liposomes with block copolymers are a promising new platform for drug delivery. Bulk methods of polymersome assembly; however, are generally inefficient at encapsulating expensive therapeutics and yield nanoparticles of a variety of sizes and drug content.
Undergraduate Student Presentation Health Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry Abstract ID# 213 Please see related posters: 564: Polymersome nanocomposites for bacteria treatment 301: Quantitative MRI of iron oxide nanoparticles
Schematic of Microfluidic production of polymersomes. The red surface is coated with a hydrophobic silane while the blue surface is coated with a hydrophilic silane [1].
Hypothesis
Apparatus
072: Polymersome nanocomposites for image-guided therapy
Initial Results
Our inexpensive microfluidic system allows for stringent control over polymersome size and drug loading to generate polymersomes of uniform size and drug content.
Microfluidic Design
The continuous and inner phase were composed of RODI water while the polymer phase consisted of THF. The diameter of the collection and injection orifices measured approximately 40 µm and 20 µm respectively. Therefore, droplet size mimics that of the collection orifice. After dewetting of the droplet, polymersome size will decrease and form the final structure.
Two tapered capillaries are placed facing each other within square tubing to allow different flows through and around the inner capillaries. The polymer is placed in an organic solvent that flows around the upstream capillary while the drug phase is injected into the polymer phase via the capillary. Water flows in the opposite direction around the downstream capillary to generate a shear force capable of pinching off the drug-containing polymer droplets.
Funding and Acknowledgments This. work was supported in part by: CIMIT 13-1087, NSF DGE 0965843, HHS/5U54CA151881-02, the Electronics Materials Research Institute at Northeastern University, an Undergraduate Provost Research award and Honors Early Research Grant.
A Harvard apparatus dual syringe pump is attached to the polymer and inner phase with 10mL plastic syringes. A NE-300 syringe pump is hooked up to the continuous phase with a 20mL plastic syringe. The two pumps are set at rates between 6001000 µL/h and 3000-5000 µL/h respectively. The microfluidic device is placed under an Olympus microscope with a high speed (4000fps) Casio EX-f20 aligned with the eyepiece.
References [1] Kim, Shin-Hyun. Kim, Jin Woong. Kim, Do-Hoon. Han, Sang-Hoon. Weitz, David. Enhanced-throughput production of polymersomes using a parallelized capillary microfluidic device. Microfluid Nanofluid. 2013. 14, 509-514 [2] Shum, Ho Cheung. Kim, Jin-Woong. Weitz, David. Microfluidic Fabrication of Monodisperse Biocompatible and Biodegradable Polymersomes with Controlled Permeability. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2008. 130, 95439549.
Future Investigations By changing the size and spacing of the capillary orifices the average polymersome size can be modulated. Fluorescent dyes will be utilized to assess drug loading efficiency and release studies. Furthermore, theranostic nanocomposites are generated by adding hydrophobic iron oxide nanoparticles to the polymer phase prior to polymersome assembly. This will allow polymersome delivery to be monitored by MRI and drug release to be modulated by external application of magnetic or radiofrequency fields. We anticipate that our system for high throughput production of uniform polymersome nanocomposites will generate polymersomes of lower polydispersity and higher drug loading compared to bulk self-assembly methods.
Alternative to Self Assembly Methods Nano scale polymersomes that mimic the structure and function of liposomes with block copolymers are a promising new platform for drug delivery. Bulk methods of polymersome assembly; however, are generally inefficient at encapsulating expensive therapeutics and yield nanoparticles of a variety of sizes and drug content.
Undergraduate Student Presentation Health Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry Abstract ID# 213 Please see related posters: 564: Polymersome nanocomposites for bacteria treatment 301: Quantitative MRI of iron oxide nanoparticles
Schematic of Microfluidic production of polymersomes. The red surface is coated with a hydrophobic silane while the blue surface is coated with a hydrophilic silane [1].
Hypothesis
Apparatus
072: Polymersome nanocomposites for image-guided therapy
Initial Results
Our inexpensive microfluidic system allows for stringent control over polymersome size and drug loading to generate polymersomes of uniform size and drug content.
Microfluidic Design
The continuous and inner phase were composed of RODI water while the polymer phase consisted of THF. The diameter of the collection and injection orifices measured approximately 40 µm and 20 µm respectively. Therefore, droplet size mimics that of the collection orifice. After dewetting of the droplet, polymersome size will decrease and form the final structure.
Two tapered capillaries are placed facing each other within square tubing to allow different flows through and around the inner capillaries. The polymer is placed in an organic solvent that flows around the upstream capillary while the drug phase is injected into the polymer phase via the capillary. Water flows in the opposite direction around the downstream capillary to generate a shear force capable of pinching off the drug-containing polymer droplets.
Funding and Acknowledgments This. work was supported in part by: CIMIT 13-1087, NSF DGE 0965843, HHS/5U54CA151881-02, the Electronics Materials Research Institute at Northeastern University, an Undergraduate Provost Research award and Honors Early Research Grant.
A Harvard apparatus dual syringe pump is attached to the polymer and inner phase with 10mL plastic syringes. A NE-300 syringe pump is hooked up to the continuous phase with a 20mL plastic syringe. The two pumps are set at rates between 6001000 µL/h and 3000-5000 µL/h respectively. The microfluidic device is placed under an Olympus microscope with a high speed (4000fps) Casio EX-f20 aligned with the eyepiece.
References [1] Kim, Shin-Hyun. Kim, Jin Woong. Kim, Do-Hoon. Han, Sang-Hoon. Weitz, David. Enhanced-throughput production of polymersomes using a parallelized capillary microfluidic device. Microfluid Nanofluid. 2013. 14, 509-514 [2] Shum, Ho Cheung. Kim, Jin-Woong. Weitz, David. Microfluidic Fabrication of Monodisperse Biocompatible and Biodegradable Polymersomes with Controlled Permeability. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2008. 130, 95439549.
Future Investigations By changing the size and spacing of the capillary orifices the average polymersome size can be modulated. Fluorescent dyes will be utilized to assess drug loading efficiency and release studies. Furthermore, theranostic nanocomposites are generated by adding hydrophobic iron oxide nanoparticles to the polymer phase prior to polymersome assembly. This will allow polymersome delivery to be monitored by MRI and drug release to be modulated by external application of magnetic or radiofrequency fields. We anticipate that our system for high throughput production of uniform polymersome nanocomposites will generate polymersomes of lower polydispersity and higher drug loading compared to bulk self-assembly methods.
