Microfluidic chamber arrays for whole-organism behavior-based chemical screening.

ABSTRACT: The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an important model organism in genetic research and drug screening because of its relative simplicity, ease of maintenance, amenability to simple genetic manipulation, and relevance to human biology. However, their small size and mobility make nematodes difficult to physically manipulate, particularly with spatial and temporal precision. We have developed a microfluidic device to overcome these challenges and enable fast behavior-based chemical screening in C. elegans. The key components of this easy-to-use device allow rapid loading and housing of C. elegans in a chamber array for chemical screening. A simple two-step loading process enables simultaneous loading of a large number of animals within a few minutes without using any expensive/active off-

SUBMITTER: Chung K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3924777 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature