TWO-DIMENSIONAL MODEL OF FLUID FLOW AND DISTRIBUTION OF NUTRIENT CONCENTRATION IN A MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE

Abstract

During the past few years, the process of miniaturisation in the field of biochemical laboratory equipment led to the introduction of the so-called “lab-on-a-chip” microdevices, which combine separate functional units into a complex, multifunctional apparatus. Fluid dynamics plays an essential role in the development of such equipment, since frequently the major part of chemical analysis is based on soluble analytes. In this work, we consider a device for the analysis of cell growth under different conditions.

In this device, dozens of cell spots absorb the nutrient (analyte) from the liquid medium. The concentration of the analyte must be strictly controlled to maintain a specific microenvironment. A two-dimensional model for the flow field and the distribution of concentration of the analyte is developed taking into account the geometrical shape of the spot with a simplified absorption model. The dependence of the results on the controlling parameters is investigated in order to determine the influence of the presence of the cell spot on the distribution of the analyte.