Automatic Design for Modular Microfluidic Routing Blocks

Microfluidics is a rapidly growing field that aims to simplify complex analytical procedures by moving them to small-scale devices. A particularly interesting application of microfluidics are so-called Organs-on-Chips, i.e., microfluidic devices that mimic the structure and function of human organs and, therefore, allow studying the effects of drugs and diseases. Recent recognition of the need for standardization in this domain has led to the generation and uptake of new ISO standards---providing the basis of modular and reusable microfluidic building blocks that allow for various organ-on-chip setups. However, designing these building blocks, especially so-called routing blocks that interconnect pumps, cell cultures, and other modules is a cumbersome, repetitive task that is still conducted manually. In this work, we propose a design and routing method that significantly simplifies the design of such routing blocks by fully automating the process of interconnecting components of a microfluidic chip. The evaluation of physical, fabricated routing blocks that were designed using the proposed method showcases its feasibility in real-world applications and its potential to reduce design effort and time significantly. In order to make the work accessible to the microfluidic community, we provide implementations of the resulting methods in the form of a user-friendly, interactive online tool, provided as part of the Munich Microfluidic Toolkit (MMFT).