micrIO: An Open-Source Autosampler and Fraction Collector for Automated Microfluidic Input-Output

Microfluidic devices are an empowering technology for many labs, enabling a wide range of applications spanning high-throughput encapsulation, molecular separations, and long-term cell culture. In many cases, however, their utility is limited by a ‘world-to-chip’ barrier that makes it difficult to serially interface samples with these devices. As a result, many researchers are forced to rely on low-throughput, manual approaches for managing device input and output (IO) of samples, reagents, and effluent. Here, we present a hardware-software platform for automated microfluidic IO (micrIO). The platform, which is uniquely compatible with positive-pressure microfluidics, comprises an ‘AutoSipper’ for input and a Fraction Collector for output. To facilitate wide-spread adoption, both are open-source builds constructed from components that are readily purchased online or fabricated from included design files. The software control library, written in Python, allows the platform to be integrated with existing experimental setups and to coordinate IO with other functions such as valve actuation and assay imaging. We demonstrate these capabilities by coupling both the AutoSipper and Fraction Collector to a microfluidic device that produces beads with distinct spectral codes, and an analysis of the collected bead fractions establishes the ability of the platform to draw from and output to specific wells of multiwell plates with no detectable cross-contamination between samples.