Stimulator: Difference between revisions
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==Basic Design== | ==Basic Design== | ||
The basic idea of the stimulator is two have two fluids flowing side-by-side (in laminar flow) down a microfluidic channel with cells affixed to the bottom of the channel. By changing the relative flow rates of the two fluids, the position of the boundary between the fluids will be altered. Thus cells near the middle of the channel can be alternately exposed to two different fluid environments. See figure on the right. | [[Image:changing_boundary_layer.png|thumb|right|400px|Changing fluid environment of cells fixed in a microfluidic channel]] | ||
The basic idea of the stimulator is two have two fluids flowing side-by-side (in laminar flow) down a microfluidic channel with cells affixed to the bottom of the channel. By changing the relative flow rates of the two fluids, the position of the boundary between the fluids will be altered. Thus cells near the middle of the channel can be alternately exposed to two different fluid environments. So by chaning the flow rates over time, we can expose the cells in the 'swing region' of the channel (the potion of the channel over which the boundary layer is moved) to a time-varying environment. I'm specifically, the two fluids in my case are media and media+pheromone. See figure on the right. | |||
Revision as of 12:42, 19 November 2005
Basic Design
The basic idea of the stimulator is two have two fluids flowing side-by-side (in laminar flow) down a microfluidic channel with cells affixed to the bottom of the channel. By changing the relative flow rates of the two fluids, the position of the boundary between the fluids will be altered. Thus cells near the middle of the channel can be alternately exposed to two different fluid environments. So by chaning the flow rates over time, we can expose the cells in the 'swing region' of the channel (the potion of the channel over which the boundary layer is moved) to a time-varying environment. I'm specifically, the two fluids in my case are media and media+pheromone. See figure on the right.
