Heterogeneous Organohydrogel Toward Automated and Interference‐Free Gradient Feeding of Drugs in Cell Screening

作者：Hongxiao Gao, Xizi Wan, Wuyi Xiao, Yuemeng Yang, Jingwei Lu, Shihao Wu, Liping Xu, Shutao Wang · 发表于：Advanced Science · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1002/advs.202401720 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：3D Printing in Biomedical Research、Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation、Microfluidic and Bio-sensing Technologies

Cell-based microarrays are widely used in the fields of drug discovery and toxicology. Precise gradient generation and automated drug feeding are essential for high-throughput screening of live cells in tiny droplets. However, most existing technologies either require sophisticated robotic equipment or cause mechanical/physiological interference with cells. Here, a heterogeneous organohydrogel is presented for automated gradient drug feeding, while ensuring minimal interference with cells. The heterogeneous organohydrogel comprises three crucial components. The bottom surface can automatically generate gradients functioning as a gradient generator, the organohydrogel bulk allows unidirectional transport of drugs without backflow, and the top surface with hydrophilic arrays can firmly anchor the cell-based droplet array to evaluate the concentration-dependent bioeffects of drugs accurately. Such a unique structure enables universal screening of different cell types and drugs dissolved in different solvents, requiring neither additional accessories nor arduous drug functionalization. The heterogeneous organohydrogel with unprecedented automation and non-interference possesses the enormous potential to be a next-generation platform for drug screening.