Printing a GRID with many micro-chambers with fluid walls in seconds

Overview
Microtiter plates are essentially arrays of miniature test tubes; individual chambers with solid plastic walls typically hold a few micro-liters. Much smaller volumes can be contained in arrays of chambers (GRIDs) with fluid walls (Soitu C et al, 2018, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 115, E5926-E5933). This YouTube movie (initially runs in real time, then 10x) illustrates the 'printing' of a 16 x 16 GRID in a 6 cm dish. The dish contains a thin layer of cell-growth medium + blue dye overlaid with a transparent and immiscible liquid. The white Teflon 'stylus' reshapes the two liquids as it draws a GRID. Interfacial forces 'pin' each chamber in this GRID to the dish (much as they pin raindrops to window panes). Each chamber is isolated from others by fluid (not solid) walls, and can hold 35 – 1,000 nL. Drawing more lines allows GRIDs with more chambers (holding pico-liter volumes) to be made quickly.

Nuclear Structure and Function Research Group