Development of a programmable magnetic agitation device to maintain colloidal suspension of cells during microfluidic syringe pump perfusion.

Droplet-based microfluidic devices have been used to achieve homogeneous cell encapsulation, but cells sediment in a solution, leading to heterogeneous products. In this technical note, we describe automated and programmable agitation device to maintain colloidal suspensions of cells. We demonstrate that the agitation device can be interfaced with a syringe pump for microfluidic applications. Agitation profiles of the device were predictable and corresponded to device settings. The device maintains the concentration of cells in an alginate solution over time without implicating cell viability. This device replaces manual agitation, and hence is suitable for applications that require slow perfusion for a longer period of time in a scalable manner.