Abou-Saleh, RH orcid.org/0000-0002-8471-2659, Armistead, FJ orcid.org/0000-0003-1274-5379, Batchelor, DVB orcid.org/0000-0001-6489-9578 et al. (3 more authors) (2021) Horizon: Microfluidic platform for the production of therapeutic microbubbles and nanobubbles. Review of Scientific Instruments, 92 (7). 074105. ISSN 0034-6748
Abstract
Microbubbles (MBs) have a multitude of applications including as contrast agents in ultrasound imaging and as therapeutic drug delivery vehicles, with further scope for combining their diagnostic and therapeutic properties (known as theranostics). MBs used clinically are commonly made by mechanical agitation or sonication methods, which offer little control over population size and dispersity. Furthermore, clinically used MBs are yet to be used therapeutically and further research is needed to develop these theranostic agents. In this paper, we present our MB production instrument “Horizon,” which is a robust, portable, and user-friendly instrument, integrating the key components for producing MBs using microfluidic flow-focusing devices. In addition, we present the system design and specifications of Horizon and the optimized protocols that have so far been used to produce MBs with specific properties. These include MBs with tailored size and low dispersity (monodisperse); MBs with a diameter of ∼2 μm, which are more disperse but also produced in higher concentration; nanobubbles with diameters of 100–600 nm; and therapeutic MBs with drug payloads for targeted delivery. Multiplexed chips were able to improve production rates up to 16-fold while maintaining production stability. This work shows that Horizon is a versatile instrument with potential for mass production and use across many research facilities, which could begin to bridge the gap between therapeutic MB research and clinical use.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Molecular & Nanoscale Physics |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) EP/I000623/1 EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) EP/K023845/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Jul 2021 11:39 |
Last Modified: | 09 Jan 2025 09:00 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Institute of Physics |
Identification Number: | 10.1063/5.0040213 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:175863 |