{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,30]],"date-time":"2025-07-30T11:20:08Z","timestamp":1753874408971,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"AIP Publishing","issue":"3","funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001407","name":"Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["BT\/PR33151\/AI\/133\/21\/2019"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BT\/PR33151\/AI\/133\/21\/2019"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001407","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001843","name":"Science and Engineering Research Board","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SPG\/2021\/002732"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SPG\/2021\/002732"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001843","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["pubs.aip.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Microfluidic devices, through their vast applicability as tools for miniaturized experimental setups, have become indispensable for cutting edge research and diagnostics. However, the high operational cost and the requirement of sophisticated equipment and clean room facility for the fabrication of these devices make their use unfeasible for many research laboratories in resource limited settings. Therefore, with the aim of increasing accessibility, in this article, we report a novel, cost-effective micro-fabrication technique for fabricating multi-layer microfluidic devices using only common wet-lab facilities, thereby significantly lowering the cost. Our proposed process-flow-design eliminates the need for a mastermold, does not require any sophisticated lithography tools, and can be executed successfully outside a clean room. In this work, we also optimized the critical steps (such as spin coating and wet etching) of our fabrication process and validated the process flow and the device by trapping and imaging Caenorhabditis elegans. The fabricated devices are effective in conducting lifetime assays and flushing out larvae, which are, in general, manually picked from Petri dishes or separated using sieves. Our technique is not only cost effective but also scalable, as it can be used to fabricate devices with multiple layers of confinements ranging from 0.6 to more than 50\u2009\u03bcm, thus enabling the study of unicellular and multicellular organisms. This technique, therefore, has the potential to be adopted widely by many research laboratories for a variety of applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1063\/5.0151868","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,15]],"date-time":"2023-06-15T12:15:26Z","timestamp":1686831326000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1063\/aip-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Microfluidics based bioimaging with cost-efficient fabrication of multi-level micrometer-sized trenches"],"prefix":"10.1063","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-9455-8512","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anand","family":"Anilkumar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) 1 , Bhopal 462066, Madhya Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8599-4777","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abhilasha","family":"Batra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) 1 , Bhopal 462066, Madhya Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7097-6250","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Santanu","family":"Talukder","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) 2 , Bhopal 462066, Madhya Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1444-5708","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rati","family":"Sharma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) 1 , Bhopal 462066, Madhya Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"317","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"2023081120570961900_c1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.1002\/smll.201000946","article-title":"Microfluidic devices for bioapplications","volume":"7","year":"2011","journal-title":"Small"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"180","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tsf.2013.05.022","article-title":"The effects of solvents on the properties of ultra-thin poly (methyl methacrylate) films prepared by spin coating","volume":"546","year":"2013","journal-title":"Thin Solid Films"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"311","DOI":"10.1007\/s42242-020-00112-5","article-title":"3D printed microfluidic devices: A review focused on four fundamental manufacturing approaches and implications on the field of healthcare","volume":"4","year":"2021","journal-title":"Bio-Des. Manuf."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"667","DOI":"10.1039\/C9AN02165E","article-title":"A simple microfluidic device for live-imaging of the vertical section of epithelial cells","volume":"145","year":"2020","journal-title":"Analyst"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1038\/s41568-018-0104-6","article-title":"Modelling cancer in microfluidic human organs-on-chips","volume":"19","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Cancer"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"228","DOI":"10.1039\/C5LC01285F","article-title":"Soil-on-a-chip: Microfluidic platforms for environmental organismal studies","volume":"16","year":"2016","journal-title":"Lab Chip"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"889","DOI":"10.1038\/s42003-021-02379-5","article-title":"Microfluidic chips provide visual access to in situ soil ecology","volume":"4","year":"2021","journal-title":"Commun. Biol."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3802","DOI":"10.1039\/c1lc20376b","article-title":"High-throughput rheology in a microfluidic device","volume":"11","year":"2011","journal-title":"Lab Chip"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2160","DOI":"10.1021\/acsabm.0c01271","article-title":"Microfluidics-based sensing of biospecies","volume":"4","year":"2021","journal-title":"ACS Appl. Bio Mater."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4855","DOI":"10.1039\/c3lc50876e","article-title":"Microreactors with integrated UV\/Vis spectroscopic detection for online process analysis under segmented flow","volume":"13","year":"2013","journal-title":"Lab Chip"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c11","first-page":"1","article-title":"Soft lithography for microfluidics: A review","volume":"2","year":"2008","journal-title":"BioChip J."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"78","DOI":"10.1016\/j.copbio.2013.09.004","article-title":"New materials for microfluidics in biology","volume":"25","year":"2014","journal-title":"Curr. Opin. Biotechnol."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1659","DOI":"10.1007\/s00542-017-3541-3","article-title":"Direct bonding of polymer\/glass-based microfluidic chips with dry film photoresist","volume":"24","year":"2018","journal-title":"Microsyst. Technol."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"276","DOI":"10.1088\/0960-1317\/16\/2\/012","article-title":"Fabrication of multi-layer SU-8 microstructures","volume":"16","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Micromech. Microeng."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"20138","DOI":"10.1039\/c3ra43732a","article-title":"Multilayer microfluidic devices created from a single photomask","volume":"3","year":"2013","journal-title":"RSC Adv."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"075008","DOI":"10.1063\/1.4927197","article-title":"Desktop aligner for fabrication of multilayer microfluidic devices","volume":"86","year":"2015","journal-title":"Rev. Sci. Instrum."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1357","DOI":"10.3390\/mi13081357","article-title":"Multilayer soft photolithography fabrication of microfluidic devices using a custom-built wafer-scale PDMS slab aligner and cost-efficient equipment","volume":"13","year":"2022","journal-title":"Micromachines"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e00348","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ohx.2022.e00348","article-title":"A portable and affordable aligner for the assembly of microfluidic devices","volume":"12","year":"2022","journal-title":"HardwareX"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"026503","DOI":"10.1063\/1.3437589","article-title":"E-beam lithography for micro-nanofabrication","volume":"4","year":"2010","journal-title":"Biomicrofluidics"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"016505","DOI":"10.1063\/1.3689939","article-title":"A practical guide for the fabrication of microfluidic devices using glass and silicon","volume":"6","year":"2012","journal-title":"Biomicrofluidics"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c21"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"R15","DOI":"10.1088\/0960-1317\/17\/5\/R01","article-title":"Lab-on-chip technologies: Making a microfluidic network and coupling it into a complete microsystem\u2014A review","volume":"17","year":"2007","journal-title":"J. Micromech. Microeng."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"205","DOI":"10.1016\/S0003-2670(03)01000-6","article-title":"Rapid prototyping of glass microchannels","volume":"496","year":"2003","journal-title":"Anal. Chim. Acta"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1313","DOI":"10.1007\/s10439-010-0213-1","article-title":"Unconventional low-cost fabrication and patterning techniques for point of care diagnostics","volume":"39","year":"2011","journal-title":"Ann. Biomed. Eng."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1273","DOI":"10.1177\/0954405414535581","article-title":"Fabrication of microchannels: A review","volume":"229","year":"2015","journal-title":"Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng., Part B"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.3390\/mi9090461","article-title":"Low-cost, accessible fabrication methods for microfluidics research in low-resource settings","volume":"9","year":"2018","journal-title":"Micromachines"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"193","DOI":"10.5755\/j01.eee.116.10.878","article-title":"Fabrication of glass-based microfluidic devices with photoresist as mask","volume":"41","year":"2011","journal-title":"Inform. MIDEM"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-020-65995-x","article-title":"Design and fabrication of low-cost microfluidic channel for biomedical application","volume":"10","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5638","DOI":"10.1039\/C4RA15907A","article-title":"Fabrication of glass-based microfluidic devices with dry film photoresists as pattern transfer masks for wet etching","volume":"5","year":"2015","journal-title":"RSC Adv."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2244","DOI":"10.1039\/D1LC00058F","article-title":"A simple and reversible glass-glass bonding method to construct a microfluidic device and its application for cell recovery","volume":"21","year":"2021","journal-title":"Lab Chip"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2011","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms22042011","article-title":"Fabrication and applications of microfluidic devices: A review","volume":"22","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int. J. Mol. Sci."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1023","DOI":"10.3390\/bios12111023","article-title":"Biomedical applications of microfluidic devices: A review","volume":"12","year":"2022","journal-title":"Biosensors"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"873","DOI":"10.3390\/mi11090873","article-title":"Fused deposition modeling of microfluidic chips in polymethylmethacrylate","volume":"11","year":"2020","journal-title":"Micromachines"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"112388","DOI":"10.1016\/j.msec.2021.112388","article-title":"Microfluidic devices manufacturing with a stereolithographic printer for biological applications","volume":"129","year":"2021","journal-title":"Mater. Sci. Eng. C"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"918","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-022-28579-z","article-title":"In-situ transfer vat photopolymerization for transparent microfluidic device fabrication","volume":"13","year":"2022","journal-title":"Nat. Commun."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100054","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mne.2020.100054","article-title":"Fabrication of a microfluidic device by using two-photon lithography on a positive photoresist","volume":"7","year":"2020","journal-title":"Micro Nano Eng."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"54","DOI":"10.1039\/B512593F","article-title":"Soft lithographic patterning of supported lipid bilayers onto a surface and inside microfluidic channels","volume":"6","year":"2006","journal-title":"Lab Chip"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3675","DOI":"10.1021\/ac035415s","article-title":"A soft lithographic approach to fabricate patterned microfluidic channels","volume":"76","year":"2004","journal-title":"Anal. Chem."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-020-73002-6","article-title":"NemaLife chip: A micropillar-based microfluidic culture device optimized for aging studies in crawling C. elegans","volume":"10","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"292","DOI":"10.3390\/bios11080292","article-title":"PDMS bonding technologies for microfluidic applications: A review","volume":"11","year":"2021","journal-title":"Biosensors"},{"volume-title":"WormBook","key":"2023081120570961900_c41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1895\/wormbook.1.101.1"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4939-7471-9_4","article-title":"What can we learn about human disease from the nematode C. elegans?","volume":"1706","year":"2018","journal-title":"Methods Mol. Biol."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c43"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1199","DOI":"10.1039\/b923101c","article-title":"A simple method for fabricating multi-layer PDMS structures for 3D microfluidic chips","volume":"10","year":"2010","journal-title":"Lab Chip"},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.3389\/fendo.2020.554994","article-title":"Caenorhabditis elegans as a useful model for studying aging mutations","volume":"11","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front. Endocrinol."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e1152","DOI":"10.3791\/1152","article-title":"Measuring Caenorhabditis elegans life span on solid media","volume":"27","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Vis. Exp."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"249","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cmet.2008.01.005","article-title":"Insulin, cGMP, and TGF-beta signals regulate food intake and quiescence in C. elegans: A model for satiety","volume":"7","year":"2008","journal-title":"Cell Metab."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.1016\/0047-6374(80)90090-1","article-title":"A simple method for maintaining large, aging populations of Caenorhabditis elegans","volume":"12","year":"1980","journal-title":"Mech. Ageing Dev."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"201","DOI":"10.1266\/ggs.15-00064","article-title":"FUdR extends the lifespan of the short-lived AP endonuclease mutant in C. elegans in a fertility-dependent manner","volume":"91","year":"2016","journal-title":"Genes Genet. Syst."},{"key":"2023081120570961900_c50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"519","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mad.2011.08.006","article-title":"FUdR causes a twofold increase in the lifespan of the mitochondrial mutant gas-1","volume":"132","year":"2011","journal-title":"Mech. Ageing Dev."}],"container-title":["Biomicrofluidics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/pubs.aip.org\/aip\/bmf\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1063\/5.0151868\/18001672\/034103_1_5.0151868.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/pubs.aip.org\/aip\/bmf\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1063\/5.0151868\/18001672\/034103_1_5.0151868.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,11]],"date-time":"2023-08-11T20:57:22Z","timestamp":1691787442000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/pubs.aip.org\/bmf\/article\/17\/3\/034103\/2896753\/Microfluidics-based-bioimaging-with-cost-efficient"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,1]]},"references-count":50,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1063\/5.0151868","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-1058"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"1932-1058"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2023,5]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,1]]},"article-number":"034103"}}