Microfluidic Flow Stabilization for Uniform Lipid Nanoparticle Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microfluidic systems face challenges in producing large amounts of self-assembled substance particles like lipid nanoparticles with high size uniformity due to high pressure supply, which leads to pulsation and potential chip damage, and difficulty in ensuring equivalent particle characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A continuous flow microfluidic system with controlled pulsation rates and a specific flow path design, including a mixing/diluting flow path with structural elements, uses independent pumps for fluid supply and a diluting portion to stabilize the production of self-assembled particles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a sample is supplied at a high pressure to improve productivity, then the flow rate increases, but pulsation cannot be sufficiently reduced and size uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A pulsation reduction unit is introduced as an intermediary component between the pump and the microfluidic chip. This unit acts as a mediator that absorbs and dampens pressure pulsations from the high-pressure fluid supply, allowing high flow rates to be maintained while eliminating the harmful pulsation effects that degrade particle size uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a pulsation reduction unit that automatically dampens pressure fluctuations without requiring external control or intervention. The unit passively absorbs pulsations through its internal structure (such as elastic elements or damping mechanisms), enabling the system to self-regulate and maintain stable particle production even at high supply pressures.
2Productivity
If a sample is supplied at a high pressure to improve productivity, then the flow rate increases, but the microfluidic chip may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The pulsation reduction unit serves as a protective intermediary between the high-pressure fluid source and the microfluidic chip. It absorbs pressure spikes and pulsations before they reach the chip, allowing high-flow-rate operation while preventing the pressure fluctuations that would otherwise cause chip deformation or damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The pulsation reduction unit provides beforehand cushioning by absorbing and dampening pressure pulsations before they can reach and damage the microfluidic chip. This protective measure is built into the system architecture, cushioning the chip against high-pressure fluctuations before they can cause harm.
3Productivity
If microfluidic chips are parallelized to secure production amount, then the pressure per chip is reduced, but it is difficult to ensure equivalent particle characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pulsation reduction function from the individual chip level and places it at the system level, upstream of the chip array. By removing the pulsation problem at its source before the fluid is distributed to multiple chips, each chip receives stable, pulsation-free flow, ensuring that all chips produce particles with equivalent characteristics regardless of the number of parallel chips used.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables stable and high-yield production of self-assembled particles with uniform size by reducing pulsation and minimizing chip damage, even at high pressure, ensuring consistent particle characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
a mixing/diluting flow path that is provided on the downstream side of a junction of the first supply flow path and the second supply flow path and through which a mixed fluid of the first fluid and the second fluid flows
Data Source
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AI summary
A continuous flow microfluidic system for continuous flow operation of a microfluidic chip, in which a pulsation rate of a continuous flow formed by the system is 5% or less. Even when a fluid sample is fed into a microfluidic chip at a high pressure, it is possible to satisfactorily and stably produce self-assembled substance particles such as lipid nanoparticles having high size uniformity, and it is possible to mass-produce such self-assembled substance particles.