Drug concentration gradient generator
By using a multi-level serpentine flow channel and asymmetric bend design, combined with wavy herringbone baffles, the problems of large errors, long time consumption and high cost in traditional drug concentration gradient experiments are solved, achieving efficient and accurate drug concentration gradient generation and cost reduction.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423169507.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-20
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-20
AI Technical Summary
Traditional drug concentration gradient experiments suffer from problems such as large human error, long time consumption, high cost and high complexity. Existing microfluidic chip designs are large in area and expensive.
It adopts a multi-level serpentine flow channel design, combined with asymmetric bends and wavy herringbone baffles, to promote liquid mixing through sharp corners and fluid disturbance, reduce flow channel length, and improve mixing efficiency.
It achieves efficient and accurate generation of drug concentration gradients, reduces the area and manufacturing cost of microfluidic chips, and improves mixing efficiency and experimental repeatability.
Smart Images
Figure CN223587015U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The utility model relates to medicine concentration gradient generation technical field, specifically a medicine concentration gradient generator. BACKGROUND
[0002] In biological and medical research, drug concentration gradient experiments are crucial for understanding the effectiveness, toxicity, and cellular response mechanisms of drugs. Traditionally, operators manually configure drug solutions of different concentrations to conduct these experiments. However, this approach has significant drawbacks: not only does it consume a large amount of reagents, but it also introduces human error, affecting the accuracy and reproducibility of experimental results. In addition, the manual configuration process is time-consuming and labor-intensive, making it difficult to efficiently complete high-throughput screening.
[0003] In recent years, the development of microfluidic technology has provided a new approach to solving the above problems. Microfluidic chips can precisely control the flow and mixing of microfluids, providing a fast and automated solution to generate drug concentration gradients. Classic microfluidic chip designs, such as the "Christmas tree" structure and cascade structure, utilize the bending characteristics of serpentine flow channels to induce diffusion and convective mixing between liquids, thereby achieving uniform concentration gradients. To ensure good mixing results, it is usually necessary to increase the number and length of serpentine flow channels, which can lead to an increase in chip area, increasing manufacturing costs and complexity. Therefore, a drug concentration gradient generator is proposed. SUMMARY
[0004] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a drug concentration gradient generator to solve the problems raised in the background art.
[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the utility model provides the following technical scheme: a drug concentration gradient generator, comprising a plurality of inlet flow channels and a plurality of outlet flow channels, the inlet flow channels and the outlet flow channels are connected by mixing flow channels, the mixing flow channels are divided into multiple levels, each level of mixing flow channel comprises a straight channel and a plurality of serpentine flow channels, the end of the plurality of serpentine flow channels is in communication with the inside of the straight channel, the serpentine flow channel comprises a group of straight pipes and a plurality of groups of asymmetric bends, wherein the inside of each group of asymmetric bends is provided with a right-angled protrusion, configured to form a sharp corner effect by the right-angled protrusion to increase fluid disturbance.
[0006] As a further scheme of the utility model: the mixing flow channels are divided into multiple levels, and for each newly added level, the number of serpentine flow channels in this level is one more than the previous level.
[0007] As a further scheme of the utility model: the outlet position of each serpentine flow channel is located in the middle region of the inlet positions of the two serpentine flow channels of the next level, and the serpentine flow channels of the upper and lower levels are connected by the straight channel.
[0008] As a further scheme of the utility model: the outlet position of the serpentine flow channel in the lowest layer is communicated with the inlet position of the outlet flow channel.
[0009] As a further scheme of the utility model: the straight-through pipe is internally provided with a plurality of groups of herringbone baffles arranged in a fishbone shape, and the inner and outer sides of the plurality of groups of herringbone baffles are designed in a wave shape.
[0010] As a further scheme of the utility model: the height of each group of herringbone baffles is designed as half of the internal width of the straight-through pipe.
[0011] As a further scheme of the utility model: the height of each group of herringbone baffles is designed as half of the internal width of the straight-through pipe.
[0012] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the beneficial effects that:
[0013] The application designs the curved part of the conventional serpentine flow channel into an asymmetric design, and designs the inner side of the curved part into a right-angle protrusion, so that the outer side of the curved part is arc-shaped and inwardly recessed, the fluid can form flow changes from convergence to divergence, a variety of mixing mechanisms of the fluid in the serpentine flow channel are induced under the action of the right-angle protrusion and the convergence to divergence, the mixing of a variety of liquids is promoted, in addition, the herringbone baffles are combined and the outer side of the herringbone baffles is designed into a wave shape, so that the irregular contact between the liquid in the flow channel and the baffles is increased, the mixing efficiency is improved, the flow channel length is reduced, the size of the entire micro-fluidic chip is reduced, and the manufacturing cost is reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0014] Figure 1 It is a whole structure schematic view of the drug concentration gradient generator of the utility model;
[0015] Figure 2 It is a serpentine flow channel structure schematic view of the utility model;
[0016] Figure 3 It is a herringbone baffle schematic view of the utility model;
[0017] In the figure: 1, inlet flow channel; 2, mixing flow channel; 2-1, straight flow channel; 2-2, serpentine flow channel; 2-2-1, straight-through pipe; 2-2-2, asymmetric curved part; 2-2-3, herringbone baffle; 3, outlet flow channel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Clearly, the described embodiments are merely a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of the present application.
[0019] Please refer to Figures 1-3 In the embodiments of the present application, a drug concentration gradient generator comprises a plurality of inlet flow channels 1 and a plurality of outlet flow channels 3, and the inlet flow channels 1 and the outlet flow channels 3 are communicated through mixing flow channels 2. The mixing flow channels 2 are divided into multiple levels, each level of the mixing flow channels 2 comprises a straight flow channel 2-1 and a plurality of serpentine flow channels 2-2, the end of each of the plurality of serpentine flow channels 2-2 is communicated with the inside of the straight flow channel 2-1, and the straight flow channels 2-1 of adjacent levels are communicated through the serpentine flow channels 2-2. The mixing flow channels 2 are divided into multiple levels, and the number of the serpentine flow channels 2-2 in each level is one more than that in the previous level. The serpentine flow channels 2-2 comprise a group of straight-through pipes 2-2-1 and a plurality of groups of asymmetric bends 2-2-2. The inside of each group of the asymmetric bends 2-2-2 is provided with a right-angled protrusion, configured to form a sharp corner effect to increase fluid disturbance. The right-angled protrusion on the inside of the asymmetric bends 2-2-2 can form a sharp corner effect, and the arc-shaped convergence on the outside of the asymmetric bends 2-2-2 can form a flow change from convergence-divergence. Therefore, the sharp corner effect and the convergence-divergence effect induce multiple mixing mechanisms of the fluid in the serpentine flow channels 2-2.
[0020] Specifically, the number of the inlet flow channels 1 is two, and the two inlet flow channels 1 are respectively used as the high-concentration drug inlet and the low-concentration drug inlet. When one of the inlet flow channels 1 is used as the high-concentration drug inlet, the other one is necessarily used as the low-concentration drug inlet. At this time, the first level of the mixing flow channels 2 includes one straight flow channel 2-1 and three serpentine flow channels 2-2. The high-concentration and low-concentration drugs flowing into the straight flow channel 2-1 through the two inlet flow channels 1 are preliminarily mixed and then flow into the three serpentine flow channels 2-2 for mixing. Each additional level of the mixing flow channels 2 adds one serpentine flow channel 2-2, and also adds one kind of concentration gradient drug flowing out. The outlet position of the serpentine flow channel 2-2 at the lowermost level is connected to the inlet position of the outlet flow channel 3, and the straight flow channel 2-1 at the uppermost level is connected to the inlet flow channel 1. In this embodiment, the mixing flow channels 2 have three levels, and thus five kinds of concentration gradient drugs can flow out. Based on the two inlet flow channels 1, the mixing flow channels 2 have n levels, and the number of the outlet flow channels 3 is y. After the number of the outlet flow channels 3 is determined, the calculation method y-2=n is used to determine the specific level of the mixing flow channels 2. In this way, the drug concentration gradient generator with a suitable level can be selected according to the required drug concentration requirement.
[0021] Referring to Figure 1 In one embodiment, preferably, the outlet position of each serpentine flow channel 2-2 is located in the middle region between the inlet positions of the two serpentine flow channels 2-2 at the next level. The serpentine flow channel 2-2 at the previous level is connected to the serpentine flow channel 2-2 at the next level through the straight flow channel 2-1. Further, the outlet position of the serpentine flow channel 2-2 at the previous level is located in the middle region between the inlet positions of the two serpentine flow channels 2-2 at the next level. In this way, it can be ensured that the fluid flowing out of the serpentine flow channel 2-2 at the previous level can uniformly flow out to the two sides and then enter the corresponding serpentine flow channels 2-2 after entering the straight flow channel 2-1 at the next level.
[0022] Referring to Figures 2-3In one embodiment, preferably, multiple sets of herringbone-shaped baffles 2-2-3 arranged in a fishbone pattern are installed inside the straight pipe 2-2-1. The inner and outer sides of the multiple sets of herringbone-shaped baffles 2-2-3 are both wavy. Further, the number of herringbone-shaped baffles 2-2-3 is multiple sets, and the number is not limited. In this embodiment, preferably, there are four sets of herringbone-shaped baffles 2-2-3, and the height of each set of herringbone-shaped baffles 2-2-3 is designed to be within the straight pipe 2-2-1. The width of the section is half of the total width, which can effectively disrupt the laminar flow stability of the fluid in the straight pipe 2-2-1, increase the convection between fluids and make the mixing more thorough. The main contact surface between the herringbone baffle 2-2-3 and the fluid is designed to be wavy, which further enhances the irregular contact between the fluid in the flow channel and the baffle, and induces the fluid to form a complex mixing mechanism in the straight pipe 2-2-1. The more complex the mixing mechanism, the more thorough the mixing of the fluid, ensuring that the fluid discharged through the outlet flow channel 3 has different concentration gradients.
[0023] by Figure 1 Taking the drug concentration gradient generator in the example, with the same drug concentration at the inlet and a flow rate of 0.1 μL / min at the inlet, several different drug mixing efficiencies were obtained through multiple experiments using different combinations.
[0024] The mixing rate of the drug concentration obtained by the combination of conventional serpentine bends and no baffles is 60%-65%; the mixing rate of the drug concentration obtained by the combination of conventional serpentine bends and conventional baffles is 70%-73%; the mixing rate of the drug concentration obtained by the combination of asymmetric bends and conventional baffles is 81%-86%; and the mixing rate of the drug concentration obtained by the combination of asymmetric bends and wavy herringbone baffles is 92%-98%. It can be concluded that by using the combination of asymmetric bends and wavy herringbone baffles, the length of the mixing channel 2 can be reduced while meeting the drug mixing rate requirements. The shorter length of the mixing channel 2 means that the area of the microfluidic chip will also be reduced, thus reducing the cost and complexity of manufacturing the microfluidic chip. Conversely, with a fixed channel length, the combination of asymmetric bends and wavy herringbone baffles can obtain drugs with better mixing rates at different concentration levels. In addition, the shorter channel means less contact time between the solute and the channel wall, which can also reduce potential solute adsorption.
[0025] Although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.
[0026] The above merely provides the preferred embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application; that is, any equivalent variations made according to the scope of the claims of the present application shall all fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present application.
Claims
1. A drug concentration gradient generator comprising a plurality of inlet flow channels and a plurality of outlet flow channels, communicating between said inlet and outlet flow channels by mixing flow channels, characterised in that, The mixed flow channel is divided into multiple levels, each level of the mixed flow channel includes a straight flow channel and multiple serpentine flow channels, the end of the multiple serpentine flow channels is communicated with the inside of the straight flow channel, the serpentine flow channel includes a group of straight-through pipes and multiple groups of asymmetric bends, the inside of each group of the asymmetric bends is provided with a right-angle protrusion, and the right-angle protrusion is configured to form a sharp corner effect to increase fluid disturbance.
2. The drug concentration gradient generator of claim 1, wherein, The mixed flow channel is divided into multiple levels, and the number of serpentine flow channels in each level is one more than that in the previous level.
3. The drug concentration gradient generator of claim 2, wherein, The outlet position of each serpentine flow channel is located in the middle region of the inlet positions of two serpentine flow channels of the next level, and the serpentine flow channels of the upper and lower levels are communicated through the straight flow channel.
4. The drug concentration gradient generator of claim 3, wherein, The outlet position of the serpentine flow channel in the lowermost level is communicated with the inlet position of the outlet flow channel.
5. The drug concentration gradient generator of claim 1, wherein, Multiple groups of herringbone baffles arranged in a fishbone shape are installed in the straight-through pipe, and the inside and outside of each group of the herringbone baffles are provided with a wave shape.
6. The drug concentration gradient generator of claim 5, wherein, The height of each group of the herringbone baffles is designed to be half of the internal width of the straight-through pipe.