High-performance multiplex microvalves fabrication and using for tumor cells staining on a microfluidic chip.

As we all know, microvalve holds great importance for microfluidic manipulation in chip. Herein, a simple method of high-performance multiplex microvalves chip fabrication was reported. In this method, a sandwich structure is established by inserting a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane into two glasses, which is cheap and simple without any complex silicon-based device or soft lithography. Taking advantages of both the elasticity of the PDMS and the rigidity of glass, the microvalve chip showed good controls performance and had the ability of multiplex integration. Moreover, aided by a computer design program, this microvalves chip can be performed automatically, showing great potential to develop new highly integrated microfluidic devices. In addition, the fabricated multiplex microvalve chip is further successfully used for staining tumor cells automatically, improving the efficiency of cell identification process and reducing human errors. These results indicate this method opens up new avenues for multiplex microvalves fabrication and its biological application.